Where The Crawdads Sing.

 I’ve seen what I think are Oscar Contenders this year and it’s not even November/December when they are eagerly trying to get their films in under the wire to be in on Oscar eligibility. So far I’ve seen Death On The Nile and Elvis and this film. 

So my 3rd Oscar contender is this film. Great story, with a fantastic plot twist at the end. Where the Crawdads Sing. Great performances throughout by not easily recognizable faces. That’s what I liked; it wasn’t the usual blah blah blah. I couldn’t tell you who any of the actors were. Just like back in the day who is that guy playing Michael in The Godfather? And that made this fresh for me. 

It actually stars Daisy Edgar Jones as the "Marsh Girl." And there's a good guy Tate played by Taylor John Smith, and a bad guy played by Harris Dickerson. But perhaps the greatest performance was David Strathairn as Marsh Girl Clark's attorney. Reminesent of Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird. Daisy Edgar Marsh deserved this major break and now she's off and running. We are going to see her a lot from now on. David Strathairn was amazing. You've seen him dozens of times before in stuff like Delores Claiborne and A League of Their Own, and he's always good, but he did a fantastic job here. 

The characters were developed nicely here and certainly with Daisy Edgar Jones. She had others playing the character early in the characters life but it is Jones who really fleshes out the character. When she meets the Taylor John Smith character we knew he was the good guy but then we are subjected to his letting her, and us, down on the 4th of July. Then there is the Harris Dickerson character who we thought was good but secretly knew was not the good guy he tried to portray himself as. And as I've indicated, David Strathairn gives an inspired performance even when the woman he's defending doesn't want him to. 

For fear of any kind of spoiler that is all I’ll say. But for fear it’s a chick flick it’s not. Reminded me a little of my second favorite film of all time, To Kill A Mockingbird. 

Just a heads up if you’re thinking of going to the movies but don’t know what to see. 

Grade: A-