20s Movie Review - Where the Crawdads Sing

Director: Olivia Newman
Genre: Drama/ Mystery/ Romance
Runtime: 125 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson, David Strathairn, Michael Hyatt, Sterling Macer Jr., Garrett Dillahunt, Ahna O’Reilly  

Description: A woman (Daisy Edgar-Jones) who raised herself in the marshes of the Deep South becomes a suspect in the murder of a man with whom she was once involved.

Review: “Where the Crawdads Sing” is a film based on the novel of the same name, written by Delia Owens and released in 2018. The book became extremely popular, being piced up as a favorite for Reese Witherspoon’s book club, so a movie was the logical next step.

The story is about Kya, a young girl who lives with the family in the marshes of North Carolina. Her mother has a terrible life because her father is not averse to abuse. When Kya’s mom leaves and eventually her siblings are done with the violence as well, Kya is left hopelessly behind with her father. When her father later also leaves, she is struggling to survive on her own.

When Kya grows up, she is simply known as “the marsh girl”. When suddenly, Chase Andrews, a wealthy young man from Barkley Cove, dies in a strange way, everyone in the village has their judgment ready: it was Kya, the marsh girl.  

“Where the Crawdads Sing” has a well-constructed story. Kya is portrayed as an easy victim, simply because she is different. The movie is entirely consistent with the book, only little has changed. The ending, which I did predict when I read the book, is surprising to most. The tension persists until the end of the story.

But still, the book is better. Because the tension is more present there, the movie somehow missed that mark.

Rating: 3, 5 /5 

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 128: Fruitvale Station

Director: Ryan Coogler

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 85 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz, Octavia Spencer, Kevin Durand, Chad Michael Murray, Ahna O’Reilly, Ariana Neal, Keenan Coogler, Trestin George, Joey Oglesby, Michael James, Marjorie Shears, Destiny Ekwueme, Bianca Rodriguez III, Julian Keyes

Description: The purportedly true story of Oscar Grant III (Michael B. Jordan), a 22-year-old Bay Area resident, who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family, and strangers on the last day of 2008.

Review: Every once in a while there is this movie that, sometimes unintentional, is released at the right moment. “Fruitvale Station”, that’s set around a tragic shooting where the black Oscar Grant dies, is one of those movies. When the movie was released, there was the Trayvon Martin/ George Zimmerman case in the US, another incident where a black guy was needlessly shot.

It’s the 31st of December 2008 and this will be the last day of Oscar Grant’s life. After spending some time in jail, he now lives a life with his girlfriend and their four year old daughter. Oscar is trying to change his life. He doesn’t want to sell drugs anymore and tries to get a job at the local supermarket. Without him knowing it, some of his actions lead to his final destination.

The opening scene of the film tells us that we are dealing with a true story. Shaky shots from a phone show us the arrest with deadly ending. It immediately feels realistic. The camera work and the absence of music only amplify this feeling. Leading actor Michael B. Jordan shows us what he’s made of. What a wonderful performance. And all the other actors are very natural too. And also kudos for the director Ryan Coogler. Although you already know the ending, it doesn’t take away the tension and the shock.

For a film with a budget under a million dollars “Fruitvale Station” proofs that bigger isn’t always better. This engrossing last day of Oscar Grant is something you won’t easily forget.

Rating: 4/ 5