Film review: Daisy Edgar-Jones delivers compelling performance in Where the Crawdads Sing

While not particularly plausible as a murder-mystery, viewed as a fairytale, the movie has plenty to offer

Daisy Edgar-Jones brilliantly captures Kya’s instinctively spiky wariness of so-called civilisation 

★★★★☆

Some might opt for a hammock on a tropical island, but the most idyllic spot in the world for Kya Clark (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is way out in the North Carolina swamps, and preferably Where the Crawdads Sing (15A).

Abandoned by her family at a very young age, Kya grew up alone in the coastland marshes, fending for herself in splendid isolation. When former High School quarterback Chase Andrews (Harris Dickinson) is found dead in the swamp, the local townsfolk immediately point the finger at ‘the Marsh Girl’ they consider to be a ‘missing link’. 

Retired lawyer Tom Milton (David Strathairn) isn’t so quick to rush to judgement, however: inviting Kya to tell her story, he listens patiently as the truth of Kya’s life begins to emerge… 

Adapted by Lucy Alibar from Delia Owens’ bestselling novel, and directed by Olivia Newman, Where the Crawdads Sing is a contemporary fairytale disguised as a murder-mystery. 

Kya is the personification of wild innocence, an untamed fawn wandering the wild woods; and if Chase Andrews is something of a Big Bad Wolf as he stalks Kya through the semi-tropical swamp, the noble Tate (Taylor John Smith) is a shining knight sworn to defend Kya against all comers. 

The noble Tate (Taylor John Smith) is a shining knight sworn to defend Kya against all comers

Not that the fiercely independent Kya needs or wants protecting; she’s happiest on her own, communing with nature and allowing the natural world to heal the hurt of her traumatic childhood. 

It’s not particularly plausible as a murder-mystery, but viewed as a fairytale the movie has plenty to offer, from the stunning setting of the Spanish moss-draped swamps (beautifully shot by Polly Morgan) to a compelling performance from Daisy Edgar-Jones, who brilliantly captures Kya’s instinctively spiky wariness of so-called civilisation and her hapless, heart-breaking attempts to engage with the outside world. 

(cinema release)