Considering the influx of heartaches main character Kya experienced in her life, stepping into Where The Crawdads Sing still felt like a soggy experience. Soap operatic yet mild, this adaptation of a hit novel lacks the punch for it to emotionally stick in view of its themes like women empowerment and American cruelty against the oppressed. Daisy Edgar Jones did adequately, but I wish she connected more to her character since Kya’s life is also a survival story. Harris Dickinson and Taylor John Smith as her love interests wasn’t effective in the romance department too; the acting badly needs improvement and these boys should’ve taken notes from experienced David Strathairn in his simple yet striking role.

However, Where The Crawdads Sing didn’t overstay despite a 2hr runtime. The final act is intriguing as Kya’s fate became engrossing (thanks to the court room drama) with a jaw dropping twist in the final sequence. The cinematography, sound design, color grading and location is glossy too. Still, the costumes need fine-tuning because the 1960s fashion wasn't visualized convincingly.