Placing Daisy Edgar-Jones under the spotlight, "Where the Crawdads Sing" serves up a virtual symphony of chords -- adapting a bestselling book that's part wild-child tale,
part romance, part mystery and part courtroom
drama. The result effectively overcomes its Lifetime-movie vibe, without
feeling like something anyone needs to rush to a theater to consume.
Still,
the enterprise might be best remembered as a showcase for Edgar-Jones
("Normal People"), an English actor whose busy year conquering America
already includes the limited series
Beginning
in 1969, the narrative flashes back to gradually unspool the story of
Kya (Edgar-Jones), who is abandoned by her family at a young age and
left alone with her violently abusive father (Garret Dillahunt). After
an uncomfortable stretch learning to coexist, he too vanishes, forcing
the child to fend for herself.
Growing
upon the outskirts of her small North Carolina town, she's known as the
"Marsh Girl," and treated kindly by only a precious few, including the
local store owners (Michael Hyatt, Sterling Macer Jr.), while being
shunned and mocked by others.
The
kindness column also includes her neighbor Tate (Taylor John Smith),
which is where the romance comes in, at least, until he heads off to
college. Alone again, naturally, Kya eventually begins seeing the
churlish Chase
Harris Dickinson), a one-time football star, whose mysterious death
lands her behind bars, forcing her to rely on the assistance of a
soft-spoken lawyer (David Strathairn, excellent as always).
Awash
as it is in steamy melodrama, "Where the Crawdads Sing" (a reference to
where Kya is told to retreat in pursuit of safety) has an obvious
throwback feel. Indeed, it's the sort of fare that might have been a
popular theatrical item in the '50s, near the time when Kya's story
begins, and like the tonally similar today would normally go directly to Hulu -- or just as often, become six stretched-out episodes for it.
Still,
Edgar-Jones brings an old-fashioned movie-star appeal to Kya's plight
and her understandable leeriness in terms of trusting those around her.
When she says, "People don't stay," she has the receipts and emotional
scars to back that up.
The
net effect doesn't qualify as a showstopper, and frankly even with the
book's popularity, at this point launching such a film theatrically
feels like a considerable leap of faith. Then again, that dynamic offers
a reason to root for "Where the Crawdads Sing," a smallish movie that
hits just enough of the right notes.
"Where the Crawdads Sing" premieres in US theaters on July 15. It's rated PG-13.
Comments