Based on a bestselling novel by Delia Owens, Where the Crawdads Sing is a slow-paced, atmospheric murder mystery set in the Carolina marshes. The score is by Oscar winner Mychael Danna, with a haunting special credits song by Taylor Swift, “Carolina,” similar to the song she co-wrote and performed with The Civil Wars for the Hunger Games credits. The score sounds like a folk/new age crossover with elements of Appalachia and fits the atmospheric nature of the movie.
Initial Reactions
Eve found Where the Crawdads Sing to be a literary movie based on a book with a lot of probably unnecessary words. As an English major, she appreciates the importance of such novels but actually doesn’t much enjoy reading them any more. She met two women who had read the book the night she watched the movie. One thought the movie lacked the beauty and character development of the book, but stayed true to the story. The other hadn’t seen the movie yet, but figured it had to be better than the book because the book was “not that good”
Where the Crawdads Sing was well framed, though as one reviewer said, it was possibly a bit over dramatic and sappy. Neither of us have read the book, but Eve believes the story was more linear than the movie. If you have read the book, please correct that impression in the comments below!
Reviews are not great for Where the Crawdads Sing. Many reviewers think the casting was all wrong, that a girl who raised herself in the swamp would not be so beautiful and innocent. Eve was touched by the story, but definitely not enough to wait in line for the book at the library. She considers it to be decent movie, but not something she would highly recommend unless it was to someone who likes movies in that select niche.
Tim truly appreciated the break from the fantastic. He loves fantasy and sci-fi, but they tend to repeat the same themes, particularly Marvel movies. Where the Crawdads Sing was a very nice change with a down-to-earth and wholly engaging story, plot, and characters. It required no suspension of disbelief. He enjoyed the movie a great deal; it was a little like To Kill a Mockingbird had been written by John Grisham. The language used in this film is elegant, and the writing is multilayered. It wasn’t until prepping for this episode that he realized the significance of the red cap.
Small Town Prejudice
Where the Crawdads Sing realistically portrays the prejudice that a small town has for those it deems outsiders. Why do people do this, and how are Christians supposed to react when it is done? How are Christians called to treat outsiders?
Cruelty
Tim always has difficulty believing that a classroom can be so mean to a student and the teacher didn’t put it right. Of course, his fourth-grade teacher was racist, so maybe . . . Eve remembers the cruelty of children in school and knows that if anything, technology has made it worse in this era. She brings up her solo-review of 13 Reasons Why as evidence of this in today’s culture.
Cruelty is addressed in the Bible has a very evil thing that warrants exceptional punishment. It’s why God curses Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi:
Their anger is cursed, for it is strong, and their fury, for it is cruel! I will disperse them throughout Jacob and scatter them throughout Israel. (Genesis 49:7)
Mockery got children mauled by bears in 2 Kings:
From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking up the path, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, chanting, “Go up, baldy! Go up, baldy!” He turned around, looked at them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the children. (2 Kings 2:23–24)
In the sermon on the mount, Jesus makes it clear that we are called to help those in need and be respectful of others:
Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12)
The Law and the Prophets refer back to the law that God gave to the Israelites:
You are also to love the resident alien, since you were resident aliens in the land of Egypt. You are to fear the LORD your God and worship him. Remain faithful to him and take oaths in his name. (Deuteronomy 10:19–2}
Least of these
The town felt absolutely no responsibility to help a child left alone in the swamp. Only Mabel and Jumpin’ get involved with helping Kya. Mabel’s reasoning was scriptural . . . one of the sole Christian references in Where the Crawdads Sing
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or without clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit you?’ “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:37-40)
The town’s excuses for prejudging Kya are horrible. The case against her was based on her “weakness of character” and the fact that a young girl living alone is “immoral.” All of these common prejudices of the era, but not real evidence of guilt. Her lawyer convicts the entire town with his rebuttal to the so-called evidence against her:
Yet in reality, she was only an abandoned child, a little girl surviving on her own in a swamp, hungry and cold, but we didn’t help her. Except for one of her only friends, Jumpin’, not one of our churches or community groups offered her food or clothes. Instead we labeled and rejected her because we thought she was different. But, ladies and gentlemen, did we exclude Miss Clark because she was different, or was she different because we excluded her?
Christians should not prejudge:
My brothers and sisters, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if someone comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor person dressed in filthy clothes also comes in, if you look with favor on the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor person, “Stand over there,” or “Sit here on the floor by my .footstool,” haven’t you made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? (James 2:1-4)
How much did the reclusive lives of her parents play into the way the town treated in her and how she reacted to the people in the town? How should the churches in the area have approached this? How do we help people who do not want help?
Naturalism
In Where the Crawdads Sing, Kya’s recurring voice speaks of nature as a living, breathing, and thinking entity. Does she think she is being literal or metaphoric? Just as nature takes almost the position of deity to a naturalist and evolutionist, becoming the example for morality or the lack of morality, Kya uses nature as a justification for murdering Chase Andrews. But we know from the Bible that while nature is an evidence of God’s creative power as well as his judgement, it cannot be the example that we use for moral behavior or a justification for sin as Kya uses it.
But ask the animals, and they will instruct you; ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you. Or speak to the earth, and it will instruct you; let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? (Job 12:7–9)
For all who sin without the law will also perish without the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For the hearers of the law are not righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be justified. So, when Gentiles, who do not by nature have the law, do what the law demands, they are a law to themselves even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts. Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts either accuse or even excuse them on the day when God judges what people have kept secret, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus. (Romans 2:12-1)
Kya murdered Chase in an act of “survivor of the fittest” because he had become abusive and had raped her. She had no desire to live constantly in fear that he would catch her and take his wrath out on her.“One thing I learned from Pa. These men have to have the last punch.” While not a moral justification for cold-blooded, premeditated murder, abuse and rape are definitely horrible things. If you are experiencing the daily terror of an abusive relationship, please seek help.
Importance of Words
Where the Crawdads Sing is full of beautiful prose. Kya voices over a lot of the movie since she is telling her story to her lawyer. Several lines stand out as being beautifully descriptive:
- When learning to read: “I didn’t know words could hold so much.”
- When left alone by her family: “I feel them not here.” (A powerful way to describe loneliness)
- Tate’s father giving him unwanted advice: “It’s my job to say all the things that people don’t like to talk about.”
Not only is the prose powerful in the movie, but Where the Crawdads Sing portrays betrayal very well when Tate breaks his promise and doesn’t come back for the 4th of July. All of this is a good reminder to mind your words carefully and keep your promises. The Bible warns us about the power of the tongue. We should take care to speak in a manner that portrays our Christian identity.
Matthew 5:33-37 Again, you have heard that it was said to our ancestors,You must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord. But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne; or by the earth, because it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. But let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no.’ Anything more than this is from the evil one.
Every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and fish is tamed and has been tamed by humankind, but no one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in God’s likeness. Blessing and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way. Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.James 3:7-12
PTSD
The basis for Kya’s abandonment in Where the Crawdads Sing is the fact that her father is really abusive. She is the youngest of a fairly large family who eventually all leave to get away from Kya’s father (starting with her mother). That none of them think to take Kya with them is the most tragic part of the story. But we do see hints that the source of her father’s abuse might be PTSD (this might be clearer in the book). War does terrible things to those who fight in it. While abuse cannot be justified, often the abusers are victims as well. We should be seeking help for them rather than just dismissing them as evil.
Are You Just Watching? is listener supported. Special thanks to our current patrons: Isaias Santillano, Craig Hardee, Stephen Brown II, David Lefton, and Peter Chapman for their generous support. We can't continue to share critical thinking for the entertained Christian without your financial help, so please head on over to our Patreon page and become one of our supporting patrons! What did you think of Where the Crawdads Sing? We would like to know, even if just your reactions to the trailer or the topics we shared in this episode. Or what general critical-thinking and entertainment thoughts or questions do you have? Would you like to suggest a movie or TV show for us to give a Christian movie review with critical thinking?Please support the podcast!
Share your feedback!
Please connect with us
