The Exiles Review: Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård in a Fairytale
Olivia Colman and Peter Dinklage star in The Exiles, a witty, romantic fairytale about a mocked fisherwoman who commissions a husband made of straw, blending sharp comedy with magical whimsy.
George Lucas famously plunged audiences directly into the Star Wars universe without tedious exposition, letting prequels fill in the gaps. The Exiles, directed by Alex Huston Fisher and Eleanor Wilson from a short story by Ursula Wills, adopts the exact same principle. Set in a timeless village straddling medieval England and fairytale lore, the film offers no explanation as to why a local basket weaver can magically craft living creatures out of straw—it simply is, and it works wonderfully.
Olivia Colman stars as a marginalized fisherwoman who smells of her daily catch, making her the constant target of village ridicule. Living mostly in isolation, her life turns when a wedding tradition singles her out as the next bride. When local villagers react with cruel mockery, she vows to spite them by securing a husband. She turns to the basket weaver, played by Peter Dinklage, who crafts her a man entirely out of straw.
Played by Alexander Skarsgård, the straw husband quickly proves to be an ideal partner, both in and out of the bedroom. While the villagers sense something peculiar about the man of straw, they soon grow bitterly envious of the romance. Directorially, the film leans heavily into comedy—it is sarcastic, occasionally vulgar, surprisingly sexy, and above all, deeply hilarious.
Comedy and Allegory
Humor rescues the film from taking itself too seriously, though it attempts a deeper allegoric layer that proves somewhat less effective. For much of its 105-minute runtime, the underlying message feels elusive, eventually boiling down to familiar observations: we all fantasize about love but struggle to sustain it in reality, craving desirability while failing to express genuine passion.
Fortunately, stellar art direction and brilliant performances more than compensate for minor script flaws. Colman is predictably exceptional, Dinklage delivers his finest work in years, and Skarsgård surprises with pitch-perfect comedic timing. Ultimately, the film evokes the whimsical spirit of The Princess Bride, reminding audiences that in the realm of cinematic fantasy, charm and laughter conquer all.
