Where the Crawdads Sing
The trailer gave me great hope. Unfortunately, read the book and leave the movie alone.
Despite wide praise for the book, this is a morose 2-hour drama devoid of any humor. Abandoned by an abusive father and the rest of her family as a teenager, a North Carolina girl is left to raise herself in the marshes.
White Daisy Edgar-Jones does a fine job playing young Kya Clark, she has few apparent skills other than boating. Good grief, she can’t even read or write.
Two young men enter her life which forms the basis of the film. She initially falls in love with Tate Walker (Taylor John Smith) while he helps her work on her grammar and drawing skills. Unfortunately, he leaves for college and doesn’t come back as promised. Love turns to hate.
Next entering her life was Chase Andrews (Harris Dickinson), a first-class violent cad. After she catches him engaged to another woman, he is found dead in the marsh.
Kya is then indicted for murder and faces the death penalty. While you don’t know if she is guilty, the film hits a high note with the performance of David Strathairn as her defense counsel. Though the trial doesn’t dance in the same league as “To Kill a Mockingbird”, there are some intriguing moments leading to the verdict.
Quite frankly, the best performances in Crawdads were delivered by Sterling Macer, Jr. and Michael Hyatt. An African American couple, they ran a small grocery and were able to help Kya through some tough moments in her life.
Let me close by saying that this wasn’t a bad movie, just not a very good one. Just stick around for an ending that will surprise you.
