Backwoods Bestseller Gets Sluggish Adaptation

An abandoned girl who raised herself in a swampy marshland is accused of murder as a young woman in the late sixties. Adapted from the smash 2018 bestselling novel by Delia Owens, Where the Crawdads Sing recounts heartbreak, resilience, and courage against blinding prejudice. If only the film had a better presentation instead of a pedestrian delivery. Sluggish pacing, obvious characterizations, and a thinly developed mystery kneecaps the story of an extraordinary protagonist. Star Daisy Edgar-Jones holds up her end with a solid performance but outshines every other facet of the film.

Set in fictional Barkley Cove, North Carolina, the film opens initially in 1969 with the discovery of Chase Andrews’ (Harris Dickinson) body below a fire tower. There are no footprints, fingerprints, or glaring evidence that a crime has taken place. The narrative then flashes back to 1952. We’re introduced to Catherine Danielle Clark (Jojo Regina), nicknamed Kya, the youngest daughter of impoverished backwoods parents. Her abusive father (Garret Dillahunt) horribly beats her mother (Ahna O’Reilly) and older siblings. Kya watches sadly as her beloved mother runs away. Soon followed by her sisters, brother, and father; who simply disappears.

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Kya is left to fend for herself in the family’s remote cabin. She befriends black shopkeepers (Charlene “Michael” Hyatt, Sterling Macer Jr.) who buy mussels and fish. Kya is mercilessly taunted and bullied by the mean townsfolk. She becomes a recluse who shies away from interacting with other people. Only a local boy, Tate Walker (Luke David Blumm), tries to be her friend.

A decade later, a teenage Kya (Edgar-Jones) comes into her own. Taught to read by a grown Tate (Taylor John Smith), Kya flourishes as she documents the plants and creatures of her surroundings. Tate becomes enamored by his beautiful student. She also catches the attention of the brash and popular Chase Andrews. When he’s found dead, Kya’s charged for his murder. “The Marsh Girl”, her cruel nickname, is an easy scapegoat. A retired lawyer (David Strathairn), who’s known Kya since childhood, comes to her defense.

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Timelines in Where the Crawdads Sing

Where the Crawdads Sing weaves together two timelines. A courtroom drama in the present unfolds concurrently with Kya’s life up to Chase’s mysterious death. Director Olivia Newman (First Match) and screenwriter Lucy Alibar (Beasts of the Southern Wild) try to juggle important exposition with the carnal interests of competing suitors. There’s no question who’s the bad apple with ill intent. The film wants to keep us guessing if there’s foul play. You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to crack this case. The answer is evident early on, and then you have to wait two long hours for a known reveal.

Young Kya roots around in the mud and carries a fishing pole but never really struggles to survive. Grown Kya looks radiant without a smudge of dirt or unkempt clothes. We are meant to believe she’s an ace survivalist with a flawless appearance. Newman and Alibar needed to spend more time in the dirt. The filmmakers portray her brutal treatment from humans but overly romanticize the environment. I grew up in swampland. Staying clean and dodging biting critters is no easy feat. It would have been extremely difficult for a child to master this terrain alone. The poetic outlook blurs into fantasy without realistic physical hardship.

Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kya

Sony Pictures

Edgar-Jones, a versatile actress, gives Kya backbone while still emoting innocence and intelligence. Kya represents the unfairly scorned and subjugated. She’s despised in general but lusted after by men. The film’s best parts deal with her loneliness. Kya’s been continuously left behind and forgotten. Her hope for genuine companionship is achingly understandable.

Where the Crawdads Sing ebbs and flows with the coastal tides depicted. Heated moments are cooled by long lulls. The filmmakers’ editing choices weigh down the pacing like oppressive humidity. Edgar-Jones stays strong in an uneven narrative. Fans of the book will find her performance endearing. It’s just not enough for me to discount significant flaws.

Where the Crawdads Sing has scenes of domestic violence and sexual assault. A production of Hello Sunshine, 3000 Pictures, and Columbia Pictures, it will have a theatrical release on July 15th from Sony Pictures.

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