Writer-directors Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson reimagined romance for a world without any during a post-screening Q&A for their newest film, “Wicker,” on Sunday.

The Cinemas Los Angeles hosted the Q&A with the directorial couple to discuss “Wicker,” which released Oct. 23. The film follows a dejected fisherwoman played by Olivia Colman, who, fed up with her judgmental village’s traditions, asks a basketweaver to make her a living husband out of wicker – played by Alexander Skarsgård – which attracts the envy of others in her village. The directors discussed how Colman’s reputation played an integral role in getting the film produced and also dissected the surprises of working with prosthetics and the narrative’s relevance to modern dating. Anthony D’Alessandro, editorial director at Deadline and the moderator of the event, commended how the filmmakers struck a culturally resonant chord.

“It’s amazing when edgy, original, independent work with stars gets off the ground in this era,” D’Alessandro said. “You think of certain stories, and it could take years for them to get off the ground.”

Wilson said producer Justin Lothrop sent Ursula Wills’ short story “The Wicker Husband” to the couple in 2021, who found that the narrative lent itself to a visual or cinematic presentation. The short story was structured more as a fairy tale, Fischer added, depicting the villagers as archetypal characters in a collective angry entity.

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Fischer said the adaptation allowed them to turn each archetype into fully-fledged characters with distinct psychologies. Wilson added that introducing romance and eroticism elevated the original moral tale about envy into a more complex story about unadulterated love informed in part by their real-life relationship.

“We weren’t even necessarily thinking of it as a romance before we started writing it,” Wilson said. “It was in the discovery of the writing that we really found the relationship between the fisherwoman and the wicker husband and how that turned into a romance.”

Fischer said the production gained traction after they completed a solid script and Colman signed on. Wētā Workshop’s involvement, known for its special effects work on the Lord of the Rings and Avatar franchises, bolstered credibility for financiers after they saw the concept art, helping the production to get off the ground quickly, Fischer said.

Wilson said the directors were excited to work with Colman because they knew she could balance the comedic and dramatic tone they intended for in the screenplay. She has the natural ability to embody a character, Fischer added, and didn’t ask many questions.

“It was so clear that she’s connected to a whole spectrum of human emotion,” Fischer said. “The scene by the fireplace where she says, ‘You have my heart now. It’s very flammable.’ That was the first take.”

Skarsgård delivered a formidable performance, Fischer said. Though the prosthetics used for Skarsgård were estimated to take up to five hours to apply, Fischer said the team was able to get it down to under 90 minutes each time. Skarsgård’s specialty is traditionally in the realm of subtlety, Wilson added, but given the restrictive weight of the prosthetics on his face, he had to exaggerate his performance to overcome his body’s limited mobility, while also playing to the film’s theatrical nature.

In addition to the process of applying the prosthetics, Fischer said one of the film’s biggest challenges was being able to complete everything they needed in a 30-day shoot. Not only did they need to portray four different seasons, but they also needed to figure out the logistics of how to plan specific visual effects using test days, Wilson said. Pushed by director of photography Lol Crawley, Wilson said they set aside five days to test effects such as the bursting of wicker eggs and the throwing of a lantern.

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“The trailer obviously showed a lot of the sex scenes in it, and that’s part of it, but I think it seemed that a lot of the things that people were latching onto were more the themes,” Wilson said. “The sexiest thing about him (the wicker husband) is that he does tasks and doesn’t ask for a pat on the back.”

One of the most attractive qualities of the wicker husband, Fischer said, is being a good listener. Wilson added that the character is willing to do anything for the fisherwoman without expecting anything in return. It’s that selflessness that sets him apart from the other villagers, Wilson said.

“Wicker” received widespread critical acclaim for its refreshing take on the romantic landscape but also for the codirectors’ distinct auteurial voice. Fischer added that he and Wilson are looking to branch out for their next project.

“We’re most attracted to doing something as different as possible from the thing we’ve done,” Fischer said. “Thematically, you can’t help but write what you write.”