By: Kimberly Grant
It looks like Reese Witherspoon has done it again. She has a real talent for finding books that translate beautifully on the big screen. Her latest, executive produced project to hit theaters is Where the Crawdads Sing; which will release in theaters nationwide on July 15.
Writing to Feel
Written by Lucy Alibar and based on the novel of the same name by Delia Owens, Crawdads is heartbreaking. First because Kya’s family fails her. Then the town of Barkley Cove turn their backs on a defenseless little girl. Just watching the first half of this film makes this writer want to have a session with her therapist.
In Crawdads, Catherine Danielle Clark (played by Daisy Edgar-Jones), loving known as Kya is accused of the murder of Chase Andrews (Harris Dickinson). Chase is a former football athlete and family man. Kya is known to the town of Barkley Cove, North Carolina, as the “Marsh Girl”. This is because Kya is abandoned by her family as a little girl to live in a house by herself in the middle of a marsh.
To make matters worse, when Chase’s body is found in the marshland, the town immediately blames the outsider. Kya’s lawyer Tom (David Strathairn), her friend Tate (Taylor John Smith), and her surrogate parents James “Jumpin” (Sterling Macer, Jr.) and Mabel Madison (Michael Hyatt) are the only people who come to Kya’s defense. Meanwhile, Kya struggles with surviving a life in which she was set up to fail.
Beauty in the Ugliness
What is beautiful about the film is Kya’s resilience in the face of insurmountable odds. Kya learns how to read and write as a teenager, learns how to fend for herself, and makes an honest living. She also manages to keep her humanity despite mistreatment. She has a beautiful soul and that is one of the most redeeming qualities of a film that makes this writer want to hug her family a little tighter.
Now that the tears have shed. It’s time to look at direction. Olivia Newman did a fine job of bringing life and light to a dark film. While there is enough to be sad about, there is still a sense of hopefulness to the film. Not just in Edgar-Jones’ portrayal of Kya, but in the beautiful scenic views of the marsh land.
Edgar-Jones is phenomenal as a woman who has seen too much bad in a short amount of time. She brings an innocence, yet fierceness to Kya. We all have a little bit of Kya in us. Likewise, Kya is a reminder that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Just because you don’t understand a person, doesn’t mean that they’re bad. We should first try to learn a person’s story to understand why they act and react.
Lessons Learned
Perhaps, the biggest takeaway from Crawdads is that we should be more understanding of each other. Perhaps Reese Witherspoon is a psychological genius who knows how to pick stories that speak to our inner selves. Well, in any case, I’m just glad Reese is good at what she does.
Interested in more summer movies about resilient women? You can read my last review here.
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