Where the Crawdads Sing

Where the Crawdads Sing

Abandoned by her family, Kya raises herself all alone in the marshes outside of her small town. When her former boyfriend is found dead, Kya is instantly branded by the local townspeople and law enforcement as the prime suspect for his murder.

  • Released: 2022-06-23
  • Runtime: 120 minutes
  • Genre: Drama, Mystery
  • Stars: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson, Michael Hyatt, Sterling Macer Jr, David Strathairn, Ahna O'Reilly, Garret Dillahunt, Jayson Warner Smith, Jojo Regina, Eric Ladin, Joe Chrest, Logan Macrae, Luke David Blumm, Charlie Talbert, Jojo Regina, Jayson Warner Smith, Billy Slaughter, Sterling Macer Jr, Robert Larriviere, Caroline Cole, Bill Kelly, Blue Clarke, Sarah Durn, Suzette Lange, Jerri Tubbs, Mike Harkins, Wyatt Parker, Taylor Shurte, Elton LeBlanc, Michael Wozniak, Grace Hinson, Will Bundon, Emma Willoughby, Michael A. Newcomer, Patrick Nicks, Brad Blanchard, Steve Kish, Jerri Tubbs, Lillian Dorsett, Anna Kabis, Zoey Reid
  • Director: Olivia Newman, Olivia Newman, Olivia Newman
 Comments
  • chloegerstlauer - 12 June 2024
    Great Book to Movie Adaptation
    A book will ALWAYS be better than the movie because there are little details in writing that cannot be translated to the screen. However, I watched this only 3 days after finishing the book and I felt it was one of the best book to film adaptations I'd ever seen. Honestly not a lot was cut and often the dialogue was word for word. I did think they didn't portray Kya as well as they could have but I felt all the other characters were spot on, especially Tate. I loved it and would definitely watch it again, if you haven't read the book I would recommend doing so in order to get a full grasp on the emptional depth of the characters, pick up the little bits the movie didn't cover and see the slight changes made.
  • Reviews_of_the_Dead - 19 May 2024
    Cliff Notes Version of the Novel
    This was a movie that I was intrigued to check out since I read the book. My wife, Jaime, borrowed it from a co-worker. She was reading another book at the time so I decided to check it out. It was a fast read and thought that it did interesting things I wasn't expecting. Jaime finally read it and when we saw this streaming on Hulu, we decided to check it out.

    We are following Kya Clark (Daisy Edgar-Jones) who is known as 'Marsh Girl'. It is a tragic story where her family slowly abandoned her and she had to make her own way. She isn't formally educated but does learn to read and write through a boy she falls in love with, Tate Walker (Taylor John Smith). Things happen there and they have a falling out. Kya is then pursued by Chase Andrews (Harris Dickinson). This isn't the picture-perfect relationship though and he ends up dying. Kya is accused of murdering him and a local lawyer, Tom Milton (David Strathairn) wants to prove that maybe she is innocent.

    What I'll say is that having read the book first, this movie falls short for me. There is a good idea here. We are seeing a tragic story of Kya who is left to fend for herself in the swamplands of South Carolina. Her family was poor growing up and there weren't many prospects for her. We see her mother, played by Ahna O'Reilly, leave her abusive father, played by Garret Dillahunt. Her siblings all then leave as they get older as well. She tries to go to school once, but she is bullied so she decides to just figure out life on her own.

    There is then this part in her life where she opens to Tate. This leads to heartbreak for her to where she isolates again. He did open her eyes though to publishers who might have a need for the inner information she has about the wildlife and marshlands where she lives. She is an expert having grown up around them. It is around this time that the local sports star, Chase, shows interest. He isn't a good guy though and this leads to scary things in her life.

    What I'll say is that the acting of Edgar-Jones is fine. Smith works as this guy who is kind to her, but he makes horrible decisions. Dickinson is great as this charmer. The best performances though are Strathairn as the lawyer. What I like is a scene this shows where he's nice to Kya as a girl. He could do more though. Michael Hyatt and Sterling Macer Jr. Are good as Mabel and Jumpin' who know Kya as a girl. They're afraid to help but do what they can. I also thought that Bill Kelly and Dillahunt were solid in their roles as well.

    To circle back to reading the book I think hurt this for me, there is just aspects left out of the movie. I understand why. A novel allows it to go more in-depth with things. A movie needs to move at a pace where it doesn't get borrowing and you're still giving the information needed. That causes little things that are important to be left out at times. I will say that there isn't bad filmmaking here. The cinematography and framing are good. There is CGI here, but it is for animals so I'm not going to harp there. I also thought that the soundtrack was fine.

    The biggest gripe I'll say is that this just feels like a cliff notes version of the story. It is fine to watch, but if you truly want to capture the magic, you need to read the book in my opinion.

    My Rating: 6.5 out of 10.
  • norbert-plan-618-715813 - 19 April 2024
    Nice green movie with several flavors
    Here's a material made up of multiple riches. Nature and marshes, where a little girl lives and grows up. A body is found, and she's accused because it's a former lover. She also has a love affair. She draws and maps the fauna and flora of the marsh. A swamp crime thriller and an ode to nature, plants and animals are the ingredients of this story. With the right messages about respect and the beauty of nature. And with the elements that make the behavior of this environment rub off on his personality and his relationship with other humans.

    In terms of scenery and landscapes, the film is very beautiful. The reconstruction is successful - we're in the 50s and 60s - in the South. The chromos, not of the American dream, but of the little people, are present. The cast is excellent: Daisy Edgar-Jones brings out the strength, vigor and fragility of her character. She eclipses the rest of the cast, who seem bland and a mere foil.

    Last but not least, the film contains a revelation at the very end that adds spice to the well-orchestrated and well-conducted preceding story, which otherwise began to seem long (125 minutes long, after all).
  • gameofthronesandme - 8 January 2023
    Reminds me of Terence Malik style
    I think this dazzling display of eyes will stick with me for a while

    He managed to make me cry, he was emotionally attached to Kaya

    The film presents society's view of the difference of one of them, so society looks at him in a low light. Kaya remains oppressed at every moment in her lonely, miserable life.

    When I watch a movie about a person's life, I often feel bored, but I never felt bored at any point in this masterpiece

    It's a character study in an amazing way

    All the characters in the film are impressive and were exploited wonderfully, even if one of them appeared in only two scenes and behind the shadows

    The cinematography is fantastic, it reminded me of the style of the great Terrence Malick I have seen beautiful landscapes and in every shot there is something beautiful that you will see for sure

    It's a really touching story I send it to you.
  • zkonedog - 31 December 2022
    A Bit Too Focused On Hitting All Its Beats Rather Than Savoring Them
    Director Olivia Newman's "Where the Crawdads Sing" is chock full of deep themes and messages, from naturalism to female empowerment to ostracism (to name just a few). While it certainly tries to hit all those beats, I wonder if perhaps it would have been better served by savoring a few of them as opposed to tackling such an ambitious agenda.

    For a very basic overview, "Where the Crawdads Sing" tells the story of Kya (Daisy Edgar-Jones), a woman raised in the marshes of North Carolina. Upon being arrested and charged with the murder of Chase Andrews (Harris Dickinson), she tells her side of the story--seen in flashbacks--to lawyer Tom Milton (David Strathairn). Her acquittal or conviction hangs in the balance.

    In terms of genre, "Crawdads" tries to diversify its appeal as much as possible. At heart, I would classify it as a romance story, but also cloaked in a whodunnit murder mystery and featuring a "human drama" bend. In other words, there are many "ways in" to this tale.

    Then there are the themes of the piece, which as mentioned are quite prolific. Whether this comes across as genius or slightly overbearing will depend on each individual viewer (my personal rating tending towards the latter). Fortunately, Edgar-Jones being wonderful in the leading role and Strathairn doing the same help matters tremendously either way.

    If there is one concrete thing I wish "Crawdads" would have done better, it would have been to develop the "marsh girl" angle with more depth and reality. As the film comes to a close, it becomes very apparent that Kya's reputation as an outsider plays a large role in every part of the legal and personal proceedings. However, such ostracism was not developed enough and/or Kya was simply too beautiful or enchanting (this is cinema, after all). While this was never going to be my favorite film of all time, I truly do think that more focus on this central angle would have paid enormous dividends.

    I did not read the bestselling book before watching this, but I am curious to perhaps dive into that text to see how original author Delia Owens dealt with the material. As it stands, I found the film adaptation to be "just okay"--nothing standing out but certainly not boring in the least.
  • lmcastrohenriques-26171 - 24 December 2022
    The Beauty of Nature
    This movie is different of any movie I have seen in years. Not just because it has a lot of disgraces, but also for the love that some humans have for nature.

    Kya is a smart, sweet person that isn't acepted. I think that that shows how people can be wrong about some person.

    The movie has beautiful soundtrack. The performances are incredible, especially for Daisy Edgar-Jones. The costumes are good, but I think that Kya should be a lit a bit more dirty, for someone who lives in the woods. The scenarios are good, not amazing.

    In summary: I think that is a good movie, but for someone who read the book (I did) it could be a little better. A must see for when you have nothing to watch.
  • barbosa-vicki - 9 December 2022
    Beautiful and melancholy
    As everyone has noted, this is a beautiful movie, especially in the marsh scenes and the wildlife. The heroine, Kya, is a gentle soul who has raised herself against all odds, alone after being abandoned. The kindness of the black couple and the lawyer are a couple of the few bright spots in Kya's life, enabling her to survive.

    SPOILER:

    Some have described the ending as horrific, when it's revealed who the killer of Chase really was. It was subtly done and could have been missed, as the elderly Tate looks through Kya's diary and drawings. I did not find it horrific, but understandable -- Kya was really a child of nature, raised by herself to survive, seeing the efforts to survive in nature all around her. The predator who means danger must be destroyed if possible -- that's the lesson of nature. She was gentle and loving to those who loved her, but amoral in her drive to survive.

    I believe there are better choices to be made. But if we abandon civilization (or are denied it, in her case) we have nothing left but nature, red in tooth and claw.
  • Itsza - 29 November 2022
    Daisy was miscast.
    Movie is an okay watch, it's a bit slow but engaging enough. Nowhere near as good as the book though. And I know everyone's not going to like to hear this but Daisy ruined Kya for me. She was so miscast. And there's not much I can say except reiterate the fact she was just so average in this and couldn't even do justice to the character in the book. I didn't imagine Kya to be as plain as daisy either. So what if she got the accent supposedly right, she still gave such a dead face performance. Even the young Kya was better than her. I have no idea how she is still getting cast in so many projects.
  • brownr-80197 - 24 November 2022
    Unexpectedly Good
    Six-hundred characters to give my opinion of any movie is beyond understanding. Readers might be influenced by just a few words, or many. Seems like I would have to explain the movie to you to use so many words. How can I do that? Why should I be forced to try? It should be enough that I, being a person who can enjoy many stories made into movies, and have watched thousands of them over my long life, have a simple opinion that is only mine. My experience has been that, as with reading books, you have to experience a lot of them to run into the ones that truly touch you. "Where the Crawdads' Sing" did just that, almost perfectly. R. Brown.