Where The Crawdads Sing movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Where The Crawdads Sing

This dramatic movie was released in theaters and on Video on Demand on July 15, 2022

RATING: PG-13 (way too much sexuality for a PG-13)

LENGTH: 2 hours 5 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: B+

IN A NUTSHELL:

Never have my subscribers and friends asked for a movie review more than they did for this film! Because the original book has been a huge bestseller, I think everyone’s expectations have been very high. Here we go. I hope this answers your questions about the movie! No spoilers!

The book and movie are about a woman who raised herself in the marshes of the deep South, North Carolina, specifically. She becomes the main suspect in the murder of a man she was once involved with.

The dramatic mystery is based on the novel by Delia Owens who actually appears in the movie during one of the court scenes! Her book has sold over 12 million copies. I’ve never read the book so this review is based solely on the movie. The screenplay was written by Lucy Alibar. The film was directed by Olivia Newman.

THINGS I LIKED:

Daisy Edgar-Jones is absolutely perfect in this role. She exudes innocence, simple beauty, and independence. Her character was completely believable, even though her face and clothes might have been a little too clean for someone living next to a swamp out in the boonies. I’ve never seen the popular TV show “Normal People” but I hear she was excellent in that as well. I’ll have to check it out!
Michael Hyatt and Sterling Macer Jr. did a great job as the supportive couple in Kya’s life. They’re a perfect example of the powerful influence simple kindnesses can be in our lives.
David Strathairn plays a true Southern lawyer with charm.
I thought both Taylor John Smith and Harris Dickinson were able to evoke just the right emotions from the audience that they were intending: love, hate, betrayal, anger, and more. Because I hadn’t read the book before watching the movie, I had no expectations in my mind as to what they would look like. If you’ve read the book and watched the film, comment down below to let me know if you thought the actors matched the characters you had envisioned in your mind!
I love the intriguing movie poster.
Beautiful cinematography of the Carolina marsh country by Polly Morgan. My mother grew up in North Carolina, and one of my sons currently lives in North Carolina. It is truly beautiful country.
The swamp looks much more peaceful and even magical than creepy due to the warm color grading.
The mysterious crime keeps us watching to figure out what happened in the murder. There is some ambiguity in the end, which is always kind of fun.
The song “Carolina” that is featured in the movie was written and performed by Taylor Swift. Another song featured in the movie is called “Long Black Veil”, an old folk ballad about a murder.
The musical score does a great job blending peaceful moments with foreboding concern.
Reese Witherspoon was one of the producers of the movie. The trailer for the movie was released on her birthday.
It was obvious that a twist was coming but I wasn’t completely sure if I was correct until the end of the movie. The movie does a great job making you second-guess yourself.
The film is a breath of fresh air for those who are currently experiencing Marvel movie fatigue.
I’m always fascinated to learn what inspires authors to write their books, so I loved the publishing aspect of the story.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

I hear that the shell necklace is much more important in the book than it’s represented in the movie. The movie also condenses a lot of the protagonist’s childhood and murder investigation into a very simplified portrayal.
I hear that the book has some lovely poetry that she wrote. We hear a few lines, but it’s an example of how you just can’t include everything from a great book into a movie.
Some scenes at night are so dark that it’ll be hard to see on a small streaming device.
Frosted tips in the 1960s? (I’m looking at you, Tate!)
There seemed to be some gaps in the story that are, surely, explained in the book. While watching the movie, I felt like I was missing some important details.
Act 1 and Act 2 move quietly and slowly, but Act 3 felt like it raced by quickly because the court case was coming to a climax.
It looked like one of the scenes was filmed with a green screen because the color and lighting seemed super “off.”

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

You see an unmarried man on top of a woman in various scenes
Some skin is shown during intimate moments
Profanity
Men hit women
You see an attempted rape
I was impressed the movie would show a young man stop before going too far with his girlfriend. He explains to her that she’ll receive more “damage” from the encounter than he ever would. I wish more guys realized that, especially with unprotected sex.

THEMES:

Innocence
Abuse
Heartbreak
Disappointment
Nature
Kindness
Betrayal
Broken families
Facts and evidence
Revenge

FUNNY LINES:

None worth noting. This is a dramatic story, definitely not a comedy.

INTERESTING LINES:

“I know you think I’m trash but I’m worth more than a Sunday picnic.” – Kya (Daisy Edgar-Jones)

“Being isolated is one thing. Being hunted, quite another.” – Kya (Daisy Edgar-Jones)

“The marsh taught me how to survive, but it couldn’t teach me everything.” – Kya (Daisy Edgar-Jones)

“In spite of everything in trying to stomp it out, life persists. Where out yonder, where the crawdads sing, the marsh knows one thing above all else. Every creature does what it must to survive.” – Kya (Daisy Edgar-Jones)