Crawdads Takes You on a Wild Ride

Where the Crawdads Sing is the best book-turned-movie I’ve ever seen take over the big screen. Captivating viewers in a romance and suspense-filled murder mystery, the movie stars actors Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, and Harris Dickinson. Jones takes on the role of Kya Clark, a girl abandoned by her family and left to raise herself in the dangerous marshlands of North Carolina.

The movie begins with young Kya being abandoned by her family (I can’t tell you why because they would be a spoiler) and forced to navigate the world alone. As the movie progresses, we see how the rumors of the “Marsh Girl ” circle the town and isolate Kya from a young age. The movie observes Kya maturing and developing into a young lady who is drawn to two young men and opens herself up to the judgmental, yet captivating world of the town. When the town’s hot shot, Chase Andrews, is found dead, the town turns on Kya, blaming her for his untimely death.

With a plot that alternates between two timelines, this movie kept me on the edge of my seat with suspense coursing through my veins. Not only do the writers do an excellent job of developing each character, they also created an unpredictable plot. After watching the trailer, I thought I knew who killed Chase Andrews and how it happened. In reality, the whole movie left me constantly second-guessing myself.

The producers do a very good job picking a soundtrack, each song being deliberately placed to elevate each scene. The cinematography of the marsh is breathtaking and I loved how the movie kept all the fashion and technology centered around the 1950’s. Certain scenes did seem out of place to me, however, and because the film followed two timelines I found myself confused at points throughout the movies.

While it’s no longer in theaters, you can still catch Where the Crawdads Sing on Apple TV, Vudu, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, and Google Play. This whole movie kept me on the edge of my seat in anticipation, and unlike most movies, I wasn’t able to figure out the ending. It shocked me in a good way, leaving me confused, stressed, and craving more.

Overall, I would rate this movie a 7 out of 10. I recommend this movie for those 14 and up because there are some scenes depicting violence, sexual content, and sexual assault.