Where the Crawdads Sing is an American drama film based on the novel of the same name by Delia Owens. The film is directed by Olivia Newman from a screenplay written by Lucy Alibar. It stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson, Michael Hyatt, Sterling Macer Jr., and David Strathairn.
Where the Crawdads Sing was released by Sony Pictures Releasing on July 15, 2022. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Edgar-Jones's performance and the cinematography, but found the film's overall tone incoherent. Audience reception was more positive and the film became a box office success, grossing $140 million worldwide on a $24 million budget. Canadian composer Mychael Danna composed the film's soundtrack, which includes the original song "Carolina" by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift that has been nominated for a Critics' Choice Award, a Grammy Award, a Satellite Award and a Golden Globe Award, though it lost the latter award to "Naatu Naatu" from RRR.
Contents
- 1 Plot
- 2 Cast
- 3 Production
- 4 Release
Plot[]
Spoiler Warning: The following contains important plot details of the entire film.
A dead body is found and Catherine "Kya" Clark is accused of murder.Kya's story begins when she lives in a shack with her poor family in a North Carolina marsh in 1953. As their abusive alcoholic father gambles their money away, Kya's mother and older siblings flee one by one, leaving Kya alone with him until he too abandons her at the age of seven. She survives by selling mussels at Barkley Cove's general store, owned by a warm, caring Black couple, Mabel and "Jumpin" Madison, who become Kya's good friends. The townspeople know her as the "Marsh Girl".
Over the years, her slightly older friend Tate Walker lends her books and teaches her to read, write, and count. They share an interest in nature and begin a romantic relationship until Tate leaves for college and breaks his promise to return to her on the 4th of July.
In 1968, Kya begins a relationship with popular local quarterback Chase Andrews, who promises her marriage. Chase gives Kya a small shell which she makes into a necklace and gives to him. A year later, Tate returns to Barkley Cove wanting to rekindle their romance, but Kya is unsure. Kya ends her relationship with Chase when she discovers he is already engaged to another girl.
Kya has her nature drawings and writings published and the income helps her keep her home. Her older brother Jodie reappears and tells her their mother died before she was able to reunite her children. Jodie promises to visit when he can.
Kya rebuffs Chase's persistent attentions and successfully fights off his rape attempt, vowing to kill him if he does not leave her alone. The threat is overheard by a fisherman. Chase returns and vandalizes Kya's home while she hides in the bushes. Days later, Chase is found dead at the bottom of a fire tower from which he had apparently fallen. The muddy bog floods at high tide, destroying any tracks from the killer, and no fingerprints are found in the tower. The shell necklace, which he had been wearing on the evening of his death, is missing from his body. Kya is charged with first-degree murder and prejudged by the suspicious townspeople.
Despite knowing Kya had been meeting with a book publisher in Greenville at the time, the police and the prosecutor speculate she could have disguised herself and made an overnight round-trip bus ride to Barkley Cove, lured Chase to the fire tower during the brief layover and killed him. With only the unfounded theory, the missing necklace, and the fisherman's testimony, Kya is found not guilty at her 1969 trial.
Kya and Tate spend the rest of their lives together. Kya publishes illustrated nature books, and is frequently visited by Jodie and his family. While boating through the swamp in her 70s, she imagines seeing her mother returning to the cabin. Tate finds Kya lying dead in the boat at their dock. Boxing up Kya's things, Tate finds a passage in her journal saying that to protect the prey, sometimes the predator has to be killed. It is accompanied by a drawing of Chase. Tate then finds the missing shell necklace, which he throws into the marsh water.
Cast[]
- Daisy Edgar-Jones as Catherine "Kya" Clarke
- Jojo Regina as Little Kya
- Taylor John Smith as Tate Walker
- Luke David Blumm as Little Tate
- Harris Dickinson as Chase Andrews
- Michael Hyatt as Mabel
- Sterling Macer Jr. as Jumpin
- David Strathairn as Tom Milton
- Jayson Warner Smith as Deputy Joe Purdue
- Garret Dillahunt as Pa
- Ahna O'Reilly as Ma
- Eric Ladin as Eric Chastain
Production[]
On January 25, 2021, it was announced that Taylor John Smith and Harris Dickinson would be joining Daisy Edgar-Jones in a film adaptation produced by Hello Sunshine and 3000 Pictures for Sony Pictures, based on Delia Owens' best-selling novel Where the Crawdads Sing. The film will be directed by Olivia Newman from a screenplay written by Lucy Alibar. On March 17, 2021, David Strathairn joined the cast of the film. On March 30, 2021, Jayson Warner Smith joined the cast of the film. In April 2021, Garret Dillahunt, Michael Hyatt, Ahna O'Reilly, Sterling Macer Jr., and Jojo Regina joined the cast. In June 2021, Eric Ladin joined the cast of the film.
Principal photography took place from March 30 to June 28, 2021, in New Orleans and Houma, Louisiana.
Release[]
It is scheduled to be released on July 15, 2022. It was previously scheduled to be released on June 24, 2022, before being delayed to July 22, 2022, and then being moved up by a week to July 15.
