REVIEW - 'Where the Crawdads Sing' (2022)

In Hollywood, there is always a book that takes the literary world by storm and then goes on to be a big film adaptation. For 2022 that is “Where the Crawdads Sing” by novelist Delia Owens. The book’s popularity increased when Reese Witherspoon put it in her Instagram book club, and she is now an executive producer on the film adaptation.

The film stays very true to the book. Director Olivia Newman faces the challenge of turning Owens’s four-hundred-page book into a two-hour movie that would connect with an audience of all ages — not only teenage girls who come for the romance element.

The film is a coming-of-age story about a girl called Kya Clark (played by Daisy Edgar-Jones), who was abandoned as a child by her whole family and lives out in the marsh alone. She is isolated from the whole town and they refer to her as Marsh Girl. She’s left to fend for herself until a childhood friend, Tate (Taylor John Smith) comes along…and romance ensues. Also, this story is plagued with drama as Kya becomes the main suspect in the murder of local town hero Chase Andrews, who she had a brief relationship with.

Some Drama Surrounding Edgar-Jones’ Casting

Daisy Edgar-Jones, whose career was propelled during the pandemic because of the release of “Normal People” is great as the mysterious and reclusive Kya. However, a lot of criticism has been made about her portrayal. She is often described as this feral girl with rumors that she is part wolf, with eyes that glow in the dark — and Jones’ appearance does not match this. She looks more like a local town girl as opposed to a reclusive murderer. The murder aspect of the film is played well. It flits back between the courtroom drama and Kya’s relationship with Chase, so audiences can determine for themselves if she did it or not.

A Film that Delivers on the Book’s Promise

Overall, the film keeps the audience invested. It does this not only with the romance of the story but with the gripping courtroom scenes. They leave us debating until the end whether she did or not. And, like the book, the film pays off with the big twist at the end.

This adaptation of the novel is not a perfect copy of the book, due to the main character’s portrayal on-screen. In the novel, this girl is covered by dirt and consumed by loneliness. Here, this young, thin, beautiful girl is just not seen as an outsider. For fans of the book, there is a payoff by seeing these beloved characters on screen. However, if this is your first time with the story it might seem like an underwhelming drama.