When you were young, you were told that swearing was neither big nor clever. Some would say that those who use excessively bad language do not have the vocabulary to cover what they are trying to say. On the evidence of Wicked Little Letters, the new British comedy-drama, these theories can be thrown out the window, as this film has the most inventive use of swearing this side of Malcolm Tucker of The Thick of It. It’s also a crowd-pleasing joy with an on-point cast and a story that, as wild as it is, is based on actual events.

In a small village in Littlehampton, religious spinster Edith Swan has received letters full of the most outrageous language and insinuations. Immediately, she and her overbearing father point the finger at their neighbour, the Irish migrant Rose Gooding. When the letters start getting out of hand, Rose is arrested and looks like she will spend time in jail if found guilty of writing them. While the police are absolutely sure they were written by Rose, Female Police Officer Gladys Moss thinks differently and decides to investigate with the help of some locals.

Director Thea Sharrock and writer Jonny Sweet have taken a story that has been forgotten in time, events set in the 1920s, and brought them out in an era when trolling and using the internet to attack individuals seem like a regular occurrence, forgetting the hurt it can cause. Capturing the period perfectly houses in which the neighbours have to share tin baths and outside toilets, this follows these two unlikely women living next door to each other and how their friendship started to break down because Edith received these vile letters.

Yet the film doesn’t immediately let the cat out of the bag who has written them. While enjoying the often hilariously venomous writings, it also plays out like a gentle whodunnit. Rose insists that she will say anything to their faces if she has anything to say. She doesn’t hold back when it comes to insults. We get a film built on many levels, not just an excuse for some robust language. We get examinations on females during this period of history. The men are the ones who are right, from the stubborn police officers who are sure that Rose has committed the crimes, not allowing Gladys Moss to change their minds, to Edith’s controlling and overbearing father. We also get the tale of Rose and her struggle to cope with a daughter and no husband, making her challenging and, in some eyes, almost uncontrollable. We then have the whodunnit as Gladys attempts to prove that Rose is innocent but never being listened to.

The production design and costumes are spot-on. We are transported to a gentler time, where the women get together to play whist in the local church hall. Where horse and cart are the forms of transport. It all works so nicely with a level of gentle humour and poignant drama that manages to balance the laughs with the tears. Like the best British comedy dramas, this is the type of film that will do well in the matinees, but many of the audience members it is aimed at might be surprised by the swearing. Try not to be too upset by that.

This is a film that makes you laugh out loud all the time. The inventiveness of the language is sometimes painful to listen to. Yes, it’s shocking, but you can forgive it when delivered by a superb cast. From the minor roles to the leads, everyone is perfectly cast. Joanne Scanlan is hilarious as a local farmer who helps Glayds search for the truth, while the consistently excellent Timothy Spall is on top form as Edith’s nasty father, who is always right and the person who starts the accusations towards Rose.

In the role of Gladys, Anjana Vasan is superb and holds her own among the big hitters around her. She brings fresh air to a role that could have been stuffy and far too straight-laced to even be noticed. Her comic timing is spot-on, and I look forward to a bright future. In the lead roles of Edith and Rose, this is a tremendous double act of Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley.

Both actresses have appeared together before but never shared the screen in the drama Lost Daughter. Here, they are allowed to play against each other, which is electric. Colman, as Edith, brings her quirky quality of a woman constantly put down by her father while trying to cover her hurt with a smile and kind words, relying on religion to keep her going. Colman has a knack for making even the filthiest sentence sound almost majestic. Opposite the always reliable Buckley is having so much fun spouting obscenities at the top of her voice. She commands the screen with her presence, and it’s another reason to say that Jessie Buckley is one of this country’s best new talents, and it won’t be long before, like her co-star, she will walk away with an Oscar. It’s worth seeing the film of these two modern-day screen giants together, and I hope it won’t be the last time they share the screen.

Wicked Little Letters is a blast. A film full of surprises, full of wit and full of outrageousness. It quite possibly is the sweariest film I have ever seen, and quite rightly so. Yet it will make you laugh, and you can wallow in great performances. It also has one of the best last lines to film you will ever hear, and with Olivia Colman delivering it, it will leave you laughing out loud. Joyful.

4 out of 5

Director: Thea Sharrock

Starring: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Timothy Spall, Anjana Vasan, Joanna Scanlan, Gemma Jones, Eileen Atkins, Malachi Kirby, Lolly Adefope, Paul Chahidi

Written by: Jonny Sweet

Running Time: 100 mins

Cert: 15

Release date: 23rd February 2024