'Wicker' has us asking what if your dream man was literally made to order

Of late, dating apps have made finding love feel a little like online shopping. You swipe through hundreds of options, read the reviews, check the pictures, look for signs of emotional availability, and occasionally wonder why a man who says he is "fluent in sarcasm" has made it his entire personality. But what if you could skip the swiping hassle altogether and simply order the man you want? That is pretty much the fantasy at the heart of Wicker, the upcoming romantic fantasy starring Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård, that has taken the internet by storm.

The film follows a lonely fisherwoman who, after being mocked by her conservative seaside village for being single, commissions a local basketmaker, played by Peter Dinklage, to make her a husband out of wicker. Enter Skarsgård, looking extremely convincing as a man who is, technically, a basket. The wicker husband turns out to be everything she could have hoped for, sparking romance (a rather raunchy one), jealousy, and plenty of chaos around the village. The trailer has already sent the internet into a collective spiral over the very important question: why is the wicker man kind of hot?

Imagine having a 'customised' boyfriend

Think about it. You get a chance to design your dream man, and suddenly every dating app complaint becomes a feature request. Someone good at communication? Obviously. Remembers your coffee order? Add it. Replies to texts without taking three business days? Absolutely essential. Can plan a date? Yes, please! Has emotional intelligence? Put that right at the top. Amazing sex? Icing on the cake!

We are already used to customising everything around us, from Spotify playlists to skincare routines to the exact shade of foundation we want delivered to our door. So why shouldn't romance get the same treatment? Wicker takes that very modern fantasy and pushes it into ridiculous territory: what if you could actually 'create' a partner who ticks every box?

Of course, the fantasy starts getting complicated once the dream man becomes a real person with his own wants, feelings, and agency. Wicker is ultimately playing with bigger ideas around marriage, loneliness, the social pressure to find a partner, and the judgement that comes from the same society once you do.

The catch with a dream man

There is obviously something appealing about a man who was literally made for you. No wondering whether he likes you, no decoding his mixed signals, and no trying to justify his inability to communicate. Your ideal man arrives fully assembled and wrapped with glossy gift paper.

Except, as Wicker suggests, love gets interesting when the person you are falling for isn't entirely under your control. The film's village quickly becomes fascinated, jealous, and unsettled by the unconventional couple, turning one woman's attempt to find companionship into a much bigger conversation about what society thinks a relationship should look like.

And maybe that is the real fantasy. Not having a perfect 'customised' man, but finding someone who makes you forget why you ever made the checklist in the first place.

Although, if Alexander Skarsgård wants to arrive at our door looking like a six-foot-tall wicker sculpture, we are not exactly going to complain.

Lead image: Black Bear

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