I didn’t know what to expect going into this movie having not read the book. But I found myself instantly drawn into the story and the main character Kya played by Daisy Edgar-Jones. Based on the best-selling book, Where The Crawdads Sing follows the story of Kya living on her own in the marshlands of North Carolina after being abandoned by her family.
She faces harsh judgment from the town forcing her to live a life of solitude. It’s not until she’s much older that she starts to form relationships with two guys from town. But that all changes when one of them shows up dead and she finds herself on trial before a town that judges her without knowing the real Kya. I was able to put myself into the character Kya’s shoes or sometimes her lack of shoes. It did a really great job of establishing her character who had to survive on her own in the house where her family abandoned her one by one.
I also like the way the story shifted focus from flashbacks to present day of her being on trial for murder. It helped keep the pacing steady. I often get a little bored with love stories like this. But I think the fact is they were already working with such a great story to tell from the best-selling book. It was more about ‘keep in the best parts’ for the movie. I think it will be hard to please fans of the book for that reason of parts being left out. But that’s usually the case with book to film adaptations. My wife read the book and thought it was okay. But found herself enjoying the movie much more than she did back when she read it. I can see this movie being played in high schools for years to come after students read it.
Not having read the book, I enjoyed being able to take it in without knowing what was going to happen. And tried to solve it for myself the entire time. The love story itself isn’t anything novel. But it’s Kya who I was drawn into and the intricacies of her character. I enjoyed the old school feel of the story with a modern lens. The movie was also beautifully shot making the marsh and wildlife feel like a character of its own. Although it takes place in North Carolina…the movie was actually filmed in parts of Louisiana. I honestly couldn’t tell.
I give Where The Crawdads Sing 4 out of 5 Marsh Girls.
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