Wicker Ending Explained: How The Basket Weaver Swindles The Entire Village

Published Oct 22, 2026, 10:00 PM EDT

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Warning: Spoilers for Wicker

Wicker, one of the year’s most talked about and thirsted over movies, has finally hit theaters courtesy of Black Bear Pictures, months after the film made its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival. The romantic fairy tale comedy film from writing/directing duo Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson has garnered much attention and virality for the unconventional romance at the center of its story, which follows a man made out of wicker marrying and falling in love with a reclusive woman.

Reviews have been glowing for Wicker, with ScreenRant’s Gregory Nussen claiming, “Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson's fable, adapted from the short story Wicker Husband by Ursula Wills-Jones, is powerful enough to resurrect the fairy-tale genre all together.” Nussen is not alone in his praise of the film, which currently holds a remarkable 95% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Based on the short story “The Wicker Husband” by Ursula Wills-Jones, Wicker takes place in a small medieval farming town in which men are referred to by their occupations and women are referred to solely by their relationships to their husbands. Ostracized by society due to her rejection of traditional marriage, a lonely Fisherwoman (Olivia Colman) sarcastically commissions the local Basket Weaver (Peter Dinklage) to make her a husband.

One month later, the Wicker Husband (Alexander Skarsgård) arrives and forges an extremely sexy and beautifully romantic bond with the Fisherwoman. The stark contrast between this bond and the strained marriages of the townsfolk foster envy from the village women and resentment from the village men.

Wicker Husband’s Origins, Explained

Wicker exists in a heightened, somewhat absurdist fictional world. The fact that not a single character has a unique name of their own speaks to the kind of unusuality embedded in Fischer and Wilson’s film.

As such, when the tall, strapping Wicker Husband comes to the small village, the townsfolk aren’t particularly fazed by the idea that there is a anthropomorphic, sentient man made out of wicker suddenly amongst them. More concerning to them is the Wicker Husband’s utility and dedication to his wife, both of which represent a stark contrast to the kind of transactional, stilted marriages that everyone else is shackled to.

Similar to the townsfolk’s lack of curiosity about the Wicker Husband’s origins, the film itself doesn’t delve too deeply into how the Wicker Husband came to be. A scene early in the film shows Colman’s Fisherwoman approach Dinklage’s Basket Weaver and task him with making her a husband.

The Basket Weaver hesitates at the rather unusual request, before stating that he will have her a husband in a month. The Basket Weaver proceeds to engage in a poetic, Frankenstein-esque monologue about the nature of creation as he assembles the materials to create the Wicker Husband, but it is never revealed exactly what supernatural or other worldly forces are at play that ultimately bring him to life.

The Wicker Husband And Fisherwoman’s Relationship Is Put To The Test

Wholesome doesn’t begin to describe just how sweet and endearing the romance the Wicker Husband the Fisherwoman is. For instance, after a night of passionate intimacy that results in the breaking of their bed, the Wicker Husband instinctively and effortlessly states that he will repair the bed the next day. A seemingly menial act, the Wicker Husband’s willingness to support, help, and listen to his new wife so starkly juxtaposes conventional relationships in this village that it inevitably stirs up drama.

This drama largely comes in the form of the Tailor’s Wife (Elizabeth Debicki). Envious that the reclusive Fisherwoman is the recipient of a form of pure love she has never experienced, the Tailor's Wife stirs up trouble by suggesting to the Fisherwoman that the Wicker Husband is having extramarital affairs with some of the women in the village. While the Fisherwoman initially scoffs at the Tailor’s Wife’s claims, the comments clearly get to her, resulting in a humorous scene in which she tries to subtly investigate the issue with her husband. The problem is that the stoic Wicker Husband takes things very literally and, as such, doesn’t quite understand the nuance of her questions.

Nonetheless, the Fisherwoman is able to dispel these concerns for a bit. Meanwhile, the men of the town see the yearning of their wives for a partner like the Wicker Husband and start to reconsider what kind of husbands they are, although not quite enough to make any substantive changes to their behaviors or lifestyles.

Devastating Deception Almost Destroys The Wicker Husband And Fisherwoman’s Relationship

Another key character in the film is the Tailor’s Wife’s Sister, played by Scottish actress Marli Siu. The Tailor’s Wife’s Sister remains at the periphery of the film for much of its story, with a handful of scenes chronicling her fresh marriage to the awkward Bottlewasher (Gustav Lindh).

The Tailor’s Wife’s Sister becomes a critical part of the story, however, as her husband meets a tragic end. Inspired by the Wicker Husband to be more useful to his wife, the Bottlewasher attempts to fix the roof of their home, only to fall through and incur a nasty injury. Thanks to poor medical intervention from the inept town Doctor (Richard E. Grant), the Bottlewasher dies shortly after, leaving the Tailor's Wife’s Sister a widow.

Distraught by the loss of her husband, the Tailor’s Wife’s Sister seeks out the Basket Weaver and asks him to make her a baby. The Basket Weaver, again reluctant initially, agrees to the task and soon after produces the Wicker Baby, a living baby made of wood.

The Tailor’s Wife’s Sister tries to keep her Wicker Baby a secret from her sister, but, eventually, the Tailor’s Wife discovers the Basket Weaver’s creation and takes it upon herself to use it as an opportunity to further disrupt the lives of the Wicker Husband and the Fisherwoman.

As night falls, the Tailor’s Wife drags her sister and the Wicker Baby to the Fisherwoman and the Wicker Husband’s home on the outskirts of town. There, the Tailor’s Wife forces her sister to reveal the existence of the Wicker Baby. Naturally, coupled with the aforementioned gossip of her husband’s extramarital activities, the Fisherwoman assumes that the Wicker Baby is the result of the Wicker Husband having a sexual relationship with the Tailor’s Wife’s Sister.

A brief conflict ensues, resulting in the Wicker Husband accidentally being set ablaze and subsequently fleeing into the nearby forest, effectively leaving the Fisherwoman a widow.

The Wicker Husband And The Fisherwoman Rebuild Their Romance

Upon being discovered by the Basket Weaver in the woods some time later, the Wicker Husband is repaired and returns to the Fisherwoman, who welcomes him back as she has come to the conclusion that the entire ordeal surrounding the Wicker Baby was a misunderstanding.

With the happy couple’s relationship repaired, the movie has seemingly come to an end. However, Fischer and Wilson pack an interesting, prolonged epilogue into their story that comments on the very worst of human nature.

The Basket Weaver Makes An Offer The Town Can’t Refuse

The Basket Weaver returns to the town and makes an offer to the townsfolk: whoever brings him the best gift will be rewarded with a Wicker Wife. The Baker, the Innkeeper, and virtually everyone else in town scrambles to bring gifts to the Basket Weaver, all of which he gladly accepts.

One of the last people to offer the Basket Weaver something is the Tailor’s Wife. Fed up with her marginalized role in society, the Tailor’s Wife wants to have a Wicker Wife that she can give to her husband, the Tailor (Nabhaan Rizwan), in turn freeing her from a miserable marriage.

Ultimately, it is the Butcher who makes the most enticing offer to the Basket Weaver, giving him a massive bounty of livestock. The Basket Weaver declares the Butcher the winner and declares that all submitted gifts are non-returnable, thus draining the townspeople of their wealth and upending their social standing. While the Basket Weaver walks away with a fortune, the foolish Butcher is presented with the Wicker Wife, who, rather than the handsome and alluring Wicker Husband, is a literal pile of twigs. The Butcher screams as the Wicker Wife embraces him painfully.

The Fisherwoman And The Wicker Husband Live Happily Ever After

As the Basket Weaver leaves the town in his carriage, he is seen to be accompanied by the Wicker Husband, the Fisherwoman, and the Wicker Baby. Come the end, the Fisherwoman and the Wicker Husband’s loving bond has survived the village’s hostility, leaving the Fisherwoman empowered and accepting of her happiness.

The two have welcomed in the Wicker Baby, giving them a child to look after and care for. The happy couple, their new baby, and the Basket Weaver proceed to journey out of the town, presumably to live peaceful lives.

Wicker takes its audience through quite the rollercoaster ride as a romance viewers become so deeply invested in is threatened by the gossip and mean-spiritedness of others. Thankfully, the purity of their love endures through hostility and controversy, while the townsfolk are punished for their hypocrisy and wrongdoings. As such, Wicker lives up to its status as a fairy tale in that the good, well-intentioned people are rewarded with great lives, while the ill-intentioned are left to reckon with the consequences of their decisions.

Wicker

Cast

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  Fisherwoman

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  Wicker Husband

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  Basket Weaver

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  Tailor’s Wife

A social outcast in a small fishing village commissions a local craftsperson to create a husband for her out of wicker.