Parents' Guide to Wicker

This surprisingly tender, subversive romantic fantasy is as much about what women deserve from marriage as it is an unconventional love story. Wicker is more than a fable about a middle-aged spinster having a sexual awakening with her custom-made husband. Skarsgård, definitely still one of Hollywood's heartthrobs at 50, plays him believably. And what may be most remarkable about this film is that his bride isn't 15 to 20 years his junior but is played by the inimitable Colman, who's actually two years older than he is—and is depicted here as homely and initially unconcerned with her appearance. The two stars have convincingly sweet chemistry, as you have to imagine any woman would with a spouse created to listen, observe, and treat her with genuine curiosity, love, and respect (not to mention the occasional breaking of the bed).

While the movie's viral trailer sparked a buzz-worthy IKEA catalog description of a wicker bench as being made of "husband material," and other clips that circulated online made the movie seem more sex-focused than anything else, in reality the Wicker Husband is at his most appealing when he's a truly loving partner to the Fisherwoman. The other women in the village—including the top-of-the-heap Tailor's Wife (Elizabeth Debicki), the Baker's Wife (Ella Bruccoleri), and the Barkeep's Wife (Emily Lloyd-Saini)—are jealous of the Fisherwoman not just because of the Wicker Husband's sexual prowess but because they feel the Fisherwoman is unworthy of having an unapologetically devoted husband when theirs are more concerned with having wives who take care of everything and leave them be. Beneath its bawdy humor and fairy-tale premise, Wicker offers a timely critique of the double standards that define women's worth by their looks, relationship status, and willingness to serve others. The adaptation departs from the short story but is also a reminder that being truly seen, heard, and appreciated can be more romantic than any grand gesture.