Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Where the Crawdads Sing Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 15, 2022

Where the Crawdads Sing, from Director Olivia Newman and based on the 2018 novel of the same name penned by Delia Owens, tells the story of a young woman accused of murder. That in and of itself is not necessarily new or novel, but the story's enticement lies in its location authenticity and the unique circumstances of the lead characters life: she's basically raised herself in the North Carolina marshes and built a life of seclusion away from the world. She has become an expert within her natural sphere, yet she is ignorant of, and an outcast amongst, the larger world around her. The story captures an essential humanity that explores one's place in the world and interaction with it from a unique perspective, particularly as, for the lead character, various opportunities present themselves, and challenges emerge, which threaten to tear down her boundaries and rearrange her life as she knows it both in the moment and for the rest of it.

Kya (Daisy Edgar-Jones) lives a life of solitude in the North Carolina swamplands. She's been alone at the family's isolated homestead since she was a girl, selling mussels to scrape by a living. Now a young woman, she remains an outcast. When a dead boy turns up in the marshlands, Kya is the number one suspect. She is apprehended, arrested, and tried for the crime. As the trial progresses, the film flashes back to her relationship with local boys Tate (Taylor John Smith) and Chase (Harris Dickinson), the latter of whom is the recently deceased.

The film blends a life portrait and a courtroom drama to excellent effect. Both components are bound together not simply by character connection but the perspectives compliment one another, building not merely backstory and forward moving plot narratives but exploring how Kya might have been responsible – or not. The film offers dramatic mystery but at its core a satisfying journey of young adulthood within the boundaries of an outcast, practically hermitlike lifestyle. That the film spends extensive, but not excessive or exhaustive, time and resources looking back at Kya’s childhood, with a focus on her lack of education and key traumatic moments in her life, and in the more limited timeframe before Chase’s death, help shape the larger arc. There is never any confusion as to when things are happening and why; Newman skillfully manages the timeframes to build a singularly absorbing story around a uniquely electric – though outwardly reserved and detached – character. The film is about how her life’s journey has led her to this place of internal and external trial, how she copes, whether she could be guilty or innocent, and how, perhaps most importantly, her chosen lifestyle and the stark contrast between her way of life and the accepted societal norms of the world around her impact her view of and place in the world and, likewise, the world’s view of hers and her place in theirs.

Beyond the story is a film of commendable majesty, presenting a vivid and tactile depiction of both Kya's marshland world and the surrounding period location around her. The former has a timelessness to it, the latter does not. And that is a key aspect of the film and certainly a driving force behind Daisy Edgar-Jones' layered, compelling performance as Kya. She capably builds the character from the inside out, refusing to simply allow her social awkwardness and home setting to define who she is but rather live the character with a unique sense of habitation, forming first the soul and then only extending the tentacles to other parts of the body. Support cast is strong, particularly screen veteran David Strathairn in a carefully considered role as Kya's attorney. The film further thrives on its generously beautiful, ceaselessly tactile, and hauntingly immersive North Carolina locations which are beautifully captured and carry the film not simply from a visual perspective, but from a key narrative perspective as well.

Where the Crawdads Sing Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sony brings Where the Crawdads Sing to Blu-ray (no UHD is available at this time) with a healthy and vibrant 1080p transfer. The digital photography can be mildly noisy at times, but the picture is otherwise very clear and well defined. Details are sharp, whether considering the marshy North Carolina exteriors, some well textured period storefronts or home interiors, or the cleaner lines inside the courtroom; nothing is visually out of order and the resolution allows the audience to soak in all of the wonderful production design elements that the carefully examining eye will notice to evolve throughout the film, sometimes in large ways, and others in more subtle ways. Colors are very well done, too, with living natural greens highlighting exteriors while period clothes and accents are vivid and stable throughout. Black levels impress, as do skin tones. Beyond the aforementioned noise there are no source shortcomings or encode blemishes to report. This is a very nice presentation from Sony.

Where the Crawdads Sing Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Where the Crawdads Sing is on Blu-ray by way of a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track is not high energy by design; it's subtle but hauntingly immersive, particularly in its sonic description of the marshy North Carolina environment where rolling waters, rustling leaves, singing insects, and other natural sounds converge into a spacious, immersive location recreation that perfectly draws the listener into the environment; this is the track's top need and its best asset. The track proves nearly as spacious when moments of dialogue reverb throughout the courtroom for another realistic element. Dialogue dominates the majority of the experience otherwise, and it presents with impressive front-center placement and lifelike clarity to every syllable.

Where the Crawdads Sing Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Where the Crawdads Sing contains three featurettes, deleted scenes, and a music video. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

• Adapting a Phenomenon (1080p, 9:35): Cast and crew's love for the original source novel, Author Delia Owens' own inspirations for the novel, maintaining authenticity to the book, the role of the marsh to the story, plot dynamics, casting key roles, Olivia Newman's direction, and more.
• Creating the World (1080p, 6:10): Olivia Newman's direction, locations, set design, shooting locales, and more.
• Women in Focus (1080p, 5:46): The key role of women on both sides of the camera.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 17:57 total runtime): Included are Tom Walks Through Barkley Cove, Chanel, Kya Takes Pa's Boat, Barefoot Walk to School, Young Kya Takes Comfort in Nature, Outsider, A Visit to Jumpin' & Mable and A Feather, Kya Observes Tate and Chase, Kya and Tate in Love, Shells, As Kya Waits, Tate Makes Other Plans, Abandoned Again, Kya's Book, and I Need You to Forget Me.
• Lyric Video (1080p, 2:55): Carolina by Taylor Swift.
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

Where the Crawdads Sing Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Where the Crawdads Sing balances grim undertones with a unique setting and a compelling character and story that is richly layered through the human perspective prism. It's beautifully shot and well-acted. It crosses genre boundaries and stands as one of the more uniquely structured pictures of the past few years. Sony's Blu-ray is solid around, offering pleasing video and audio in addition to a handful of extras. Recommended.