When American writer/zoologist Delia Owens’ debut novel solo nine-teen million copies and topped The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers List a film version was inevitable. The book follows the life and times of Kya Clark played by Daisy Edgar-Jones (Cold Feet and Ear Of The Worlds). Her life is one filled with extreme hardship.

As the youngest member of a family led by an abusive father played with believable ferocity by Garret Dillahunt, she has to endure all of her loved ones leaving the toxic environment. She stays with their father and suffers the physical and mental isolation until he too leaves their shack home located out in the marsh lands. Forced to raise herself until her teens she is shy but very intelligent.

Her interface with the outside world is minimal and most people try to take advantage of her including a boy named Chase Andrews (Harris Dickinson). He is the small town’s star athlete and comes from a known family. Their relationship become adversarial and when he turns up dead she is charged with the murder. Through backstory during the trial we discover more details about her life and relationship with Chase. This film is a treat for both fans of the book and those new to the story, Where the Crawdads Sing speaks of one woman’s strength against insurmountable odds and her ultimate victory.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/SonyPicturesAUS/

Where the Crawdads Sing tells the story of Kya, an abandoned girl who raised herself to adulthood in the dangerous marshlands of North Carolina. For years, rumours of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, isolating the sharp and resilient Kya from her community. Drawn to two young men from town, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world; but when one of them is found dead, she is immediately cast by the community as the main suspect. As the case unfolds, the verdict as to what actually happened becomes increasingly unclear, threatening to reveal the many secrets that lay within the marsh.

Where the Crawdads Sing stars Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People) as “Kya Clark,” Taylor John Smith (Sharp Objects) as “Tate Walker,” Harris Dickinson (The King’s Man) as “Chase Andrews,” Michael Hyatt (Snowfall) as “Mabel,” Sterling Macer, Jr. (Double Down) as “Jumpin’,” and David Strathairn (Nomadland) as “Tom Milton.” Olivia Newman (First Match) directs the screenplay by Lucy Alibar (Beasts of the Southern Wild) based upon the novel by Delia Owens. The 3000 Pictures film is being produced by Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter.

Where the Crawdads Sing will be released in Australian cinemas July 14!

www.facebook.com/SonyPicturesAUS/