ASkars just so Swedish

Black Bear’s Wicker, based on author Ursula Wills-Jones’s short story, The Wicker Husband, follows a fisherwoman (Olivia Colman) who commissions the local basketmaker (Peter Dinklage) to weave her a husband (Skarsgård). However, when the quiet village realizes he’s the man of any woman’s dreams, his presence sparks jealousy and chaos.

Despite the film debuting at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, it wasn’t until last week that the general public got a first look at the pic, including a teaser of what Skarsgård is packing in his little (or rather, fans are hoping big) basket.

For the girlies who love romantic fantasy novels and franchises, this movie is right up their alley. And many of them weren’t afraid to make that known on social media. Once the trailer made its way on TikTok, women flooded the comment sections in pleasant confusion, and their reactions did not disappoint.

“Hell yeah! 50 shades of Pinocchio! Worth the splinters,” one person wrote, referencing the erotic Fifty Shades of Grey franchise, while another user added, “The way you can hear the wicker expanding is killing.” One user noted, “I love how simultaneously confused and thirsty everyone is,” while another person shared, “The bar is so low for men we’re romanticizing baskets.”

Those are just a few of the thousands of reactions to the trailer posted on social media. Fandango’s post currently has more than 11 million views on TikTok, so it’s clear people are intrigued by the film’s unique concept.

[Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgard in ‘Wicker.’ Everett Collection]

In other videos’ comment sections, some were also diving into wicker penis-related logistics. “Can you imagine the splinters?” someone wrote.

These are obviously fictional problems, but that didn’t stop people from coming in to ease any potential concerns. “Wicker has a wax lining that makes it smooth so I’m not worried,” one person wrote. Another added, “Wicker doesn’t splinter if it’s treated properly.”

There’s no doubt that Skarsgård, a conventionally attractive actor known to take on eccentric and unconventional roles, is also playing a big part in the film’s allure. It seems audiences like seeing him in bizarre roles just as much as he likes playing them (he previously played a kinky biker in the BDSM-themed movie Pillion and a silent, Amish bartender in the sci-fi thriller Mute).

“I have a feeling that Alexander Skarsgård only accepts the role if it requires him to do weird shit,” one person quipped on TikTok.

Only time will tell if Wicker will be a surprise hit at the box office come its theatrical release in October, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s the horny Booktok girlies. And as many have already pointed out, audiences have been begging for more original stories, especially after the recent box success of Obsession, Backrooms and Project Hail Mary. Well, Wicker has now entered the chat and said: here, damn.

“Y’all see what you did, you asked for more original movies and now we got 50 shades of basket case,” another user joked on social.

Wicker, also starring Elizabeth Debicki, Ella Bruccoleri and Richard E. Grant, is set to open wide in theaters on Oct. 30. The film was directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson.