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 

Book Review - Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Title: Where the Crawdads Sing
Series: -
Author: Delia Owens
 
Description: For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet fishing village. Kya Clark is barefoot and wild; unfit fot polite society. So in late 1969, when the popular Chase Andrews is found dead, locals immediately suspect her.
But Kya is not what they say. A bon naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life’s lessons from the land, learning the real ways of the world from the dishonest signals of fireflies. But while she has the skills to live in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn into two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world, until the unthinkable happens.  
 
Review: The story revolves around Kya. Her mother leaves her family one day and never returns. Her brothers also run away and Kya, six at the time, is left behind in the hut with her father, who is an alcoholic and also can’t keep his hands to himself and regularly beats up his children. Her father fought in the army and then became disabled and now lives on welfare. Every now and then he goes off and young Kya is left behind in their hut, all alone. At a young age, Kya manages to get by on the food she makes.
 
“Where the Crawdads Sing” is a very sad story about a young girl who is left alone and has no one to take care of her. She doesn’t go to school, but befriends a man and his wife who own a local store. They keep an eye on her.
 
Gradually Kya grows up. She becomes a woman who manages to do everything on her own. She is very smart and independent. Kya learns from her surroundings. One day, she meets Tate, a boy who visits her with his boat. And is introduced to a lot of new things, emotions, and manages to open up to him. Another boy, named Chase, also seems to be interested in Kya. But later in life, Chase is found dead and Kya is the main suspect. People judge Kya immediately, without actually knowing her.
 
“Where the Crawdads Sing” is a beautiful story, there is a reason this is such a popular book. I mostly don’t tag along that easy, but I do agree on the hype around it. I enjoyed Delia Owens’ writing and how she described the surroundings. It’s very obvious she is a wildlife writer. The story keeps your attention at all times and the suspense is kept until the end of the book. The eventual reveal of who killed Chase wasn’t very surprising to me, but didn’t ruin the experience for me.
 
There is now a movie out as well, which I will watch. I can really recommend this book, it’s very beautiful and well-written.
 
Rating: 4,5/ 5