This movie was one of those where everything seemed to line up against it, at least for me. The trailers did nothing to convince me to see it, the “meh” response also didn’t spark confidence, and then I got the ending spoiled. But one evening, I felt like finally giving in and seeing whether I was correct and confirming my bias. And as you can deduct from the title of this review, imagine my shock when this turned out much better than expected.
Let’s address the ending first. I was sure this would ruin the movie experience, given I knew everything that would happen, including the end. But no, surprisingly, the movie worked (dare I say) better because of my knowledge. I believe I enjoyed it slightly better because I could focus more on Daisy Edgar-Jones, who carried this movie. Her performance was the biggest reason Where the Crawdads Sing worked on any level. Effectively, this movie is a biopic of hers; we follow her from when she was a little child until her death and beyond. And her story was sad, intriguing and (mainly due to the marsh setting) fascinating.
The setting was another reason this movie kept my attention because it looked and felt like nothing I had seen, at least in ages. I loved how the marshes felt like a character in this movie, whilst Daisy sold me on her character Kya and her being “one” with them. Throughout the film, she does subtle things, uses her surroundings to her advantage, and at times, this movie feels like a survival film. It is mostly drama and a bit of mystery as there is a murder case, and Kya is the prime suspect. Yet surprisingly, this movie balanced the drama portion with the crime/mystery portion well enough to keep me interested. And again, the film managed to do that despite me knowing whether or not she committed the crime.
The things I struggled with were the convenient solutions to all her problems. You about to lose your home? Oh, that’s fine; you own the land! What’s that you don’t have money to pay the taxes on that land? Thank fuck you can paint well, and also, the handsome boy taught you how to read/write so you can write and illustrate a book all about creatures of the marsh. Also, did I mention she is a phenomenal painter? For somebody, who was neglected for her entire life, she sure does have the skill of someone who has dedicated her life to mastering it. I understand that almost every movie has these convenient solutions, but Where the Crawdads Sing does a great job making you feel her pain, neglect and rough childhood, only for her to pretty much trip over several solutions almost at once.
Also, if we dig a bit deeper regarding that ending, I liked it. I will try my hardest not to spoil it, but there will be some hints, so thread carefully reading further. The movie knows what it wants to say, and it is only up to you whether you agree with its logic. It made sense within the story; it was consistent with Daisy’s character and with the way her character grew up. Sure, the method by which we learned whether she did or not was a bit weird, but generally; I liked it. And again, knowing it helped me enjoy Daisy’s performance much more.
Overall, Where the Crawdads Sing is one of those movies proving one thing – no matter what you hear about a movie, you must watch and judge it for yourself. When I pressed the play button, I thought this would be a snooze fest, given everything I knew about it, but it turned out to be a much better film than I expected. Additionally, this might be reductive, but Daisy Edgar-Jones seems like someone to watch out for. She carries this film on her petite frame, and that’s not an easy task; I will have to watch more movies/shows with her.
That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!
Until next time,
Luke