Delia Owens’ highly popular novel Where the Crawdads Sing, has been made into a movie headed by Reese Witherspoon’s company Hello Sunshine.
Daisy Edgar-Jones plays the main character, Kya, an abandoned girl who raised herself to adulthood in the dangerous marshlands of North Carolina. For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, isolating the sharp and resilient Kya from her community. Drawn to two young men from town, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world; but when one of them is found dead, she is immediately cast by the community as the main suspect. As the case unfolds, the verdict as to what actually happened becomes increasingly unclear, threatening to reveal the many secrets that lie within the marsh.
First, before I get into the film I want to post a warning for a few things that may trigger viewers of the film. This movie contains child abuse, domestic abuse, abandonment issues, physical and mental abuse, and rape. It’s a lot. This film shines a light on some very dark places.
We meet Kya when she was a child, played by the insanely talented Jojo Regina, and we get a very quick and messy look into her life. Her abusive father, a mother who abandons her, and siblings who also just leave her behind to deal with her alcoholic father played by Garret Dillahunt who plays this role with vigor and is quite scary in some of the scenes.
After her entire family leaves her, Kya fends for herself, which seemed really weird to me. I mean, people in town knew of her existence, the general store owners knew, and they knew her Mother left, then her Father, so my question was why didn’t anyone step in? That was hard to wrap my head around. I digress. Somehow this child survives on her own and meets a boy with whom she falls in love with, then she meets another and one ends up dead and she is accused of the murder.
That’s the entire film in a nutshell. Flashbacks of her growing up, her with each of the boys, and her standing trial for murder all while drawing the animals of the marsh. You will see how her drawing plays into her survival.
Overall I didn’t hate the film, I just found some holes in the story that I wanted more clarity on, or maybe for it to be more believable, you know? As I stated before, Jojo Regina was so good in her role as child Kya, as was Daisy Edgar-Jones in the grown-up role. The boys, Taylor John Smith as Tate and Harris Dickinson as Chase Andrews were both perfect in their roles. One you loved and the other you loved to hate.
I imagine that people who loved the book will not love the movie because I don’t think the book characters were fully realized on the big screen. But I also think that those who haven’t read the book will like the movie because these characters are completely stand-alone and without expectation.
Where the Crawdads Sing will be available on digital September 6th and on Blu-ray and DVD on September 13th. There are over 17 minutes of never before seen deleted and extended scenes.
BONUS MATERIALS INCLUDE:
- Adapting a Phenomenon: Explore the journey of bringing the best-selling novel to life as told by the cast and filmmakers of Where The Crawdads Sing.
- Creating the World: When a book is as beloved as Where The Crawdads Sing, the details of the world are everything. Hear firsthand from the designers and artists that translated those images to the screen.
- Women in Focus: From its captivating central character, Kya, crafted by author Delia Owens to the incredible team of women at the helm of the film adaptation, this piece is a testament to the strength, determination and resilience of women both onscreen and behind the scenes.
- 14 Deleted & Extended Scenes: See more of the marsh, mystery and magic in this collection of deleted and extended scenes.
- Lyric Video: “Carolina” by Taylor Swift
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