WICKED LITTLE LETTERS (2023) Cert 15 
Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Timothy Spall, Hugh Skinner. Directed by Thea Sharrock. (1h 40m) 

Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley lead a superb British cast in an outrageously potty-mouthed comedy, based on a true story. In the 1920s, the sleepy village of Littlehampton was sent into uproar after an anonymous author began sending rude expletive-filled poison-pen letters to different members of the community. (The parallels to online hate campaigns by internet trolls of the modern day are clear to see). Many of the letters were directed at one lady in particular, a prim spinster and pillar of society played here by Olivia Colman. Suspicion quickly fell upon her neighbour and former friend, a wild Irish single mother (Jessie Buckley of course) and a court case ensued. Needless to say, all was not quite as it seems. It's a wonderfully engaging story, and the inventive wit of the extraordinarily foul-mouthed insults contained in the letters is often breathtaking, especially for the 1920s. Colman and Buckley are, as always, superb and it's a pleasure to see them sparring with one another so effectively.