Written by Delia Owens (novel) and Lucy Alibar (screenplay)
Directed by Olivia Newman
Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson and David Strathairn
Running time 2 hours and 5 minutes
MPAA Rating PG-13 for sexual assault, some violence and sexual content
In theaters July 15

by Rosalie Kicks, Editor in Chief & Old Sport

“Is she a scientist or a witch?”

Society often finds it easier to shun someone rather than taking the time to understand them.

Where The Crawdads Sing, is a coming of age story based on what is described as a “global sensation” novel by Delia Owens. Set in the early nineteen fifties of the marshes of North Carolina, a young girl, Kya Clark (Daisy Edgar-Jones), is abandoned by her family and left to fend for herself. The story details her life from 1952 until October 1969 living in a secluded swamp shack, finding love, and being implicated in a murder. Referred to by the townsfolk as “Marsh Girl”, Kya has lived a solitary existence. Much like Mary Tyler Moore, she has learned to “make it on her own,” but for Kya it’s through the sales of mussels and smoked fish. Very few have taken the time to know her besides through rumors heard around town. Far-fetched yarns have been spun such as Kya being part wolf or possibly a witch and for the unimaginative types: simply swamp trash.

At the age of six, Kya’s mother walked out on the family due to the abuse of her alcoholic husband. Sadly, Kya spends the remainder of her life keeping hope of her mom’s return. Not too far after the departure of her mother, the rest of her older siblings quickly follow. Being too young of an age to runaway herself, Kya adapts to her father’s drunken demeanor by learning to stay out of his way. They manage to have a few bonding moments on the marsh, but it quickly comes to end and, inevitably, her dad walks out on her too. Eventually, good fortune does find Kya through the friendship of a local boy, Tate Walker (Taylor John Smith). Tate provides Kya with the everlasting gift of literacy and eventually the two fall in love, having a whirlwind romance until he departs for college. After feeling deserted once more, Kya is entangled with another local, Chase Andrews (Harris Dickinson) that ultimately leads to her being accused of murder.

With the amount of twists and turns in this plot, it should not come as a surprise that the book is a page turner. Heck, even with juggling my various responsibilities and a full time day-job, I managed to read it in a week flat. After being selected by Reese Witherspoon for her book club, who would then go on to produce the film, this led to much of the novel’s popularity. Truth be told, I had only picked it up about a week prior to the screening. I actually had about thirty pages of the damn thing left as I started watching the picture. Therefore, the ending for me was completely spoiled (oops). Although, I was pleased as punch to be able to watch the film immediately after finishing the book as I felt prepared to catch any of the nuisances between the two, which there are few. It should be said, this is not the greatest piece of literature ever put to paper but it is, however, a great way to escape the hellfire that is planet earth. I see this story as a twisted romance of sorts that is wonderful water-cooler talk or something to chat about with your BFF.

In terms of the filmmaking, I feel the biggest mistake it makes is that it chose to tell the story in a non-linear fashion. The source material time hops between different points of Kya’s life, opening with the discovery of a dead body which Kya is then accused of. From there, the book jumps around todifferent points in her life until the reader ends up in the court room. The film attempts to do the same, however it makes for a clumsy viewing experience. I think, in terms of a motion picture, it would have served better to be told in a traditional sense.

The other issue that I have is the whitewashing of the story. As mentioned earlier, Kya survives through the sales of mussels and smoked fish that she sells to a local shopkeeper on the marsh, Jumpin’ (Sterling Macer Jr.). Within the novel, the characters Jumpin’ and his wife Mabel (Michael Hyatt) have much more meaningful stories and impact whereas, in the movie, they are somewhat written off. Additionally, despite the film being set in the south, the script does very little exploration of race relations in the 1950s and 60s. This creates an inaccurate picture of the time and strays from the telling in the book. In watching the film, one could conclude that the prejudices only applied to the lone white girl living in the swamp.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the questionable past of the author, which I only learned of recently. Prior to the novel being released, Delia Owens and her husband had traveled to Zambia as zoologists and became involved with a murder investigation of an unidentified poacher along with her stepson, Christopher. Given the subject of her book, it has caused a backlash of the writer’s work. It definitely made me think a bit deeper about the writing, however, at the end of the day it could all just be a coincidence.

With all of this said, if you’re looking to get away from things and shut your mind off for a while, this film is not the worst way to spend your time. While watching I could not help but picture myself running away to live at Kya’s picturesque swamp shack filled with vintage items and trinkets. I also don’t think they could have made a more perfect casting choice with Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kya. With her previous release Fresh, she is turning out to be an actor to keep an eye on.