I enjoy reading more than keeping up with the newest movie releases so I have mixed feelings when one of my very favorite novels is adapted for the big screen. I am often disappointed in the movie version. But not this time. Not with Where the Crawdads Sing. I have enjoyed this movie so much that I've re-watched it several times since purchasing the DVD just a few weeks ago. I think the producers did a phenomenal job bringing Kya to the screen and keeping her story true to the book.
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Movie Review: Where the Crawdads Sing
The setting is a small town near the marshlands of North Carolina. The town is shook in the 1960s when the popular young man, Chase Andrews, is found dead at the lookout tower that stands watch over the marsh. But the story begins years before that with the Clark family.
The Clark family lives in a small shack near the water's edge, in the marsh. Mr. Clark is clearly fighting some sort of inner demons and takes it out on those closest to him. Mrs. Clark is a mysterious lady. She lives in that marsh, with an angry man, a handful of children, and a pair of alligator shoes. She is an artist of some sort; painting plein air. She loves her children. Including her youngest, 6 year old Kya.
Over time, the Clark family grows smaller. At one point, young Kya is living alone with the man who physically abused everyone in the family. She trusts no one, has abandonment trauma, and relies on the marsh. Missing her brothers, it is not surprising that she grows to become happy when she sees her youngest brother's friend in his boat. At first, she can only wave and call a greeting to young Tate while her scowling father steers their boat past.
Living at a level of loneliness that is suffocating, the marsh supports Kya. The townspeople call her "marsh girl". They bully her the one day she attended school as a very young girl. On any rare occasion that a human comes to her home, Kya runs and hides like a wild animal; disappearing into the marsh.
Kya slowly begins to trust the waterfront shop owners and they grow to love her. As she becomes a beautiful young woman she becomes more interesting to Tate and to Chase Andrews. We see that she has inherited her mother's artistic ability but what else will she inherit?
When Chase Andrews is found dead at the tower that overlooks the marsh, everyone immediately defines it as murder and everyone immediately blames "the marsh girl". Was it murder? Was it an accidental fall?
The marsh knows.
Behind the Scenes
This movie is gorgeous. The scenery is wonderful with birds, tides, water, vast expanses and micro close-ups. In the special features, the producers (Reese Whitherspoon and Hello Sunshine) talk about the setting.
This movie is emotional. You feel the changing moods of the people as clearly as you see the changing times of day on the water.
The actors and actresses were amazing. Most all of them were new to me and I look forward to seeing them in other roles.
This movie stayed true to the Kya I met in the novel. Author Delia Owens appears in the features also. It was interesting to see them speak about choosing the actors, setting, and how to get through the timeline of Kya's story in the condensed movie version. I think they pulled it off wonderfully and could only be improved (and not by much) in a mini-series length.
Special Features included with the DVD:
- Adapting a Phenomenon
- Lyric Video "Carolina" by Taylor Swift
- Creating the World
- Women in Focus
The Book Reviews: Where the Crawdads Sing
