Where the Crawdads Sing (2022)
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A woman is tried for murder in a small town after being found as the prime suspect in the death of a local man.
The story
In the North Carolina marshlands, Kya, an abandoned yet defiant girl, raises herself to adulthood as a naturalist. When the town's hotshot is found dead, she becomes the prime suspect and is tried for murder. The story follows her life in the swamp and the legal battle that ensues. As a local attorney prepares to represent her, the narrative explores her past, her isolation from the community, and her survival in the wild. The film weaves together her history of self-reliance with the mystery of the crime that has made her a pariah in the eyes of the local townspeople.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1969, Chase Andrews is found dead at the bottom of a fire tower in a North Carolina marsh. Kya Clark, a local pariah and naturalist, is charged with murder. The story flashes back to her childhood starting in 1953, where she was abandoned by her parents and siblings, eventually becoming a 'marsh girl' cared for by local shopkeepers. She had a relationship with Tate Walker, who left for college, and later a relationship with Chase Andrews, who promised her marriage but was later revealed to be engaged to someone else. In the present, during her trial, the prosecution uses circumstantial evidence like a missing necklace and witness testimony to suggest she committed the crime. She is ultimately found not guilty. The film concludes with a jump forward in time; Kya, now in her 70s, is found dead in a boat. Tate finds her journal, which contains a final note about protecting prey from predators and a drawing of Chase, along with the missing shell necklace, which he throws into the water.
- First release year
- 2022
- Runtime (minutes)
- 125
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Olivia Newman
- Writers
- Lucy Alibar · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Daisy Edgar-Jones · Kya; Taylor John Smith; Harris Dickinson; Michael Hyatt; Sterling Macer, Jr.; Jojo Regina; Garret Dillahunt; Ahna O'Reilly; David Strathairn
- Genres
- mystery; drama
- Themes
- survival; isolation; nature; justice
- Tone and mood
- atmospheric; melodramatic
- Premise and plot tags
- mystery; coming-of-age; courtroom drama; Southern Gothic
- Source material / true-story basis
- the 2018 novel by Delia Owens
- Content notes
- abuse
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Daisy Edgar-Jones's performance but found the film's overall tone incoherent. It was a box office success.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 5.2 · scale: 10 · review count: 220; Metacritic · score: 43 · scale: 100 · review count: 46
- Awards and nominations
- Hollywood Music in Media Award · Original Score – Feature Film · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film's title is a reference to a phrase told by Kya's mother.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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