A woman who raised herself in the marshes of the deep South becomes a suspect in the murder of a man she was once involved with.
A young girl named Kya (Daisy Edgar-Jones) must learn to survive on her own in the marshland of North Carolina when her family leaves her as a small child. She is seen as an outcast and is frowned upon in her community. But her life is later turned upside down when she is suspected of and arrested for murder.
Daisy Edgar-Jones is an up-and-coming actress who has continually impressed me in her previous works such as “Fresh,” “Normal People,” and “Under the Banner of Heaven.” Here, she once again shines as the lead. Her performance is a highlight of this otherwise dull picture.
There are two love interests in Kya’s life that she’s pulled between. The first is Tate (Taylor John Smith), who is intelligent, kind, and loves the outdoors. The other is Chase (Harris Dickinson), wealthy, popular, and a player. She has believable chemistry with both of them, but it is pretty clear which love interest you should root for.
Retired lawyer Tom Milton (David Straithairn), who represents Kya in court, rounds out the supporting cast. Jumpin’ (Sterling Macer Jr.) and Mabel (Michael Hyatt) run a convenience store and are stereotypical mammy/pappy figures who look after Kya. I believe the supporting actors all serve their roles well, but there is not much to these characters besides Kya.
I have read the novel that this film is adapted from, and I would say it is a faithful adaptation. The courtroom scenes in the movie, though, are very watered down compared to the book. I also feel like the community’s prejudice against Kya was not regarded as much in the film. For people who loved this book, the film left more to be desired, which unfortunately is the norm for most book-to-film adaptations.
I believe there was too much narration in the film. I understand it is needed for the audience to know Kya’s thoughts as she does not speak much, but it got tiring. The twist in the film is also predictable, and I believe it would have worked better if we got to see the event played out on screen.
Overall, “Where the Crawdads Sing” is a bore. There is some solid stuff in the film, such as Edgar-Jones’s performance but I feel like the execution of the plot was not compelling or engaging enough.
In Theaters Friday, July 15th
