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Known simply as the ‘marsh girl’ to the locals, Kya Clark (Daisy Edgar-Jones), a young girl abandoned by her family, grows up fending for herself, selling mussels to the local store in a place called Barkley Cove. When Chase Andrews (Harris Dickinson), a young man Kya was romantically involved with, is found dead near a tower, she is arrested for murder despite no evidence against her. Now, it is up to her lawyer to save her from the death sentence.
Directed by Olivia Newman, the 2022 movie Where the Crawdads Sing is based on a novel by Delia Owens. Set in 1969, the film opens with beautiful shots of the fictional coastal town of Barkley Cove, which is supposed to be situated in North Carolina. Two little boys find Chase Andrews corpse lying muddied in the marsh and soon, Kya, the protagonist is arrested as the primary suspect. Retired attorney Tom Milton (David Strathairn) volunteers to represent Kya, presenting her side of the story to the town – the outcast constantly judged by those around her.
Where the Crawdads Sing is a drama-thriller with a hint of romance, following Kya’s deep love for nature, birds, and the marsh where she grows up, while also navigating her relationships – first with Tate Walker, then with the arrogant quarterback Chase Andrews. The core mystery is of-course over whether Tate was murdered, or if it was a simple case of accidentally from the tower to his death. Daisy Edgar-Jones narrates the tale as Kya, recalling how she grew up with an alcoholic father after being deserted by her brothers and mother. When her father also leaves, Kya grows up alone, shunned by the rest of the town except for a kind Black couple who run a convenience store. Taylor John Smith plays Tate Walker, a young man, who befriends Kya, teaching her to read and write.
Kya seems to have been imagined as an alternate version of Mowgli. Though not raised by animals, she grows up in the wilderness, largely isolated from society. Despite this, she blossoms into a beautiful young woman, attractive to men her age, even though ‘decent families’ would not want their sons to date the ‘marsh girl.’ Daisy Edgar-Jones is vulnerably charming as Kya, a curious naturalist happiest in the lap of nature, collecting feathers and watching birds. But at the end of the day, she is still human, falling for the ‘wrong’ guy and facing the heartbreaking consequences of being a poor, abandoned child who had to raise herself. Class divide, social prejudice, and domestic violence are major themes in the film, while Kya’s independence and self-reliance as a lone young woman shines through the runtime.
The chemistry between the characters is very lukewarm, so it is the cinematography, background music, and minor suspense over Chase’s actual fate that keep Where the Crawdads Sing entertaining. As a viewer, one knows there can only be three possible outcomes to the story, creating a constant element of predictability, even though the writers throw in some red herrings to confuse the audience. Unfortunately for me, my first guess about what really happened turned out to be true. Regardless, this was a fun one-time watch.
Rating: 3 on 5. Watch the film on Netflix.
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I remember watching this, and you’re so right, the story is pretty simple and the suspense kind of depends on which ending you guess (fortunately I guessed wrong lol).
I feel like the best thing about the movie was the setting. The marsh, the haziness, the swamps, the wildlife… so comfortable yet also sinister. So haunting yet beautiful. Reminded me of A River Runs Through It.
True. The setting makes it worth a watch!