#MovieReview: Where the Crawdads Sing – rather stick with the book

Where the Crawdads Sing is an often ludicrous, but occasionally affecting melodrama set in the backwoods of the American Carolinas.

Based on the smash-hit Delia Owens book, Crawdads is part a coming of age story, part courtroom drama, part young romance and completely disjointed as a result.

The central narrative is apparently strong enough to sell millions of books, but when transposed to the screen feels oddly misshapen, without stakes and beyond a realistic suspension of disbelief.

It is also cliché laden, down to square-jawed quarterbacks, star-crossed lovers, kindly older African-Americans and an Atticus Finch style southern lawyer with a heart of gold.

But many of its scenes are rendered with unqualified beauty, as director Olivia Newman brings the marsh to life with the eye of a painter.

If you are a fan of the book, then perhaps it is best to remember the writing and rather watch the movie on mute.

Mild spoilers to follow
Crawdads follows the story of manic pixie marsh girl, Kya, brought to life in a strong performance from Daisy Edgar-Jones, who you might recognise from Normal People.

Kya was orphaned as a child, learning to fend for herself in the apparently safe marshland where the only dangers are boys who come calling in her teenage years.

She is industrious and shy, fierce and beautiful, a lonely maiden just waiting for a strapping lad to turn up on her doorstep – how boring in 2022, particularly with a female author and director.

Of course, despite living rough with no services to her home, Kya is the prettiest girl in town and looks more like a homeopath hipster heading to the Burning Man festival than someone who has actually lived a difficult life.

When the romance arrives, it is rote and lifeless, with two potential lovers so similar looking that you might not even realise are different people had they not appeared on screen together.

Edgar-Jones does her best to elevate a script in which she is given no agency beyond a 50/50 choice between two tall white guys, but Crawdads largely falls flat.

There are admittedly some scenes that do an effective job at pulling at the heartstrings, and the aforementioned beauty of the marsh features throughout.

It will probably please the ardent book fans, but it is hit or miss for those watching the movie on its own merits.

Rated 13 for some scenes of Sex and Violence.
2.5/5.

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