It was enjoyable to go to the screening of this movie knowing nothing of the film or the 2018 bestselling novel Delia Owens wrote. And I brought a friend of my wife’s. She reads a lot and this is her all-time favorite book (and she loved this movie, too).
And a funny thing happened on the way to penning my review. It will become the elephant in the room for many reviews (pun intended). The author and her husband (now ex-husband) are accused of getting away with the murder of elephant poachers in Africa. Hey, they say “write what you know.” But I’m here to review the movie, not the details of that case. You can Google those if you’re interested.
This is the story of a girl who has a very abusive father, who drives away her mom and eventually, her siblings. Once her dad disappears, she’s left to fend for herself. Luckily, she has a decent house to live in, and some very nice shop owners (played by Sterling Macer Jr. and Charlene Hyatt). They give her some clothing, keep child protective services at bay, and give her a good deal on grits (she often trades mussels she gets out of the swamp in exchange).
Daisy Edgar-Jones plays the “Marsh Girl” and is a rather interesting protagonist. This is set in North Carolina, and as New York Times critic A.O. Scott says, “It’s like if a Tennesse Williams play went to Nicholas Sparks for a rewrite.”
That sums it up perfectly, which is why most critics will probably rip this film to shreds. And while yes, it does play like a coming-of-age Lifetime movie more than a gripping courtroom drama, it kind of worked for me.
It’s a courtroom drama because the body of Chase Andrews (Harris Dickinson) is found below a fire tower. I’m a bit perplexed as to why Kya (the marsh girl) is the main suspect, especially with such a lack of evidence. In fact, they talk about no fingerprints being on the railing leading up the water tower, yet early in the movie when the police walked up it to investigate, I remember thinking to myself – why are they touching the railing? Shouldn’t they be checking that for fingerprints? But, there are many flaws in logic here. Another big one is that a boy Kya had an affair with – a wonderful guy who taught her to read, fell in love with her, and for reasons no teenage boy would be able to explain – didn’t make love to her even though she wanted to. That’s not as unbelievable as how he ends up ghosting her. His explanation for it almost derailed the entire movie for me.
The film goes from the courtroom (where I was pleasantly surprised to see an actor I love, David Straitharn, playing her attorney), to flashbacks of her childhood.
There were times I wished this was a piece written by Pat Conroy (The Prince of Tides, The Great Santini). That would have made the powerful moments have a bit more punch, and the melodramatic moments less cheesy.
All the taunting and bullying Kya deals with seems authentic and you really feel for her. I have a good friend that talked about growing up poor and not having shoes to wear to school and feeling self conscious about it. When Kya puts one foot over the other, as she sees looks from her classmates, it’s heartbreaking.
When Tate Walker, a nice local boy, takes an interest in her and her feather collection, it worked. We had seen a few of their interactions as children playing together, so it’s a natural progression.
Sometimes director Olivia Newman (First Match) and screenwriter Lucy Alibar (Beasts of the Southern Wild) can’t quite juggle all the elements of the story, but for the most part, they pull it off. Even with a slightly sluggish pace at times. Yet I was surprised with how low the Rotten Tomatoes score was for this movie and glanced at what a few critics felt was so negative. Many of them talked about how good looking she was, no mud on her feet, or unkempt hair and clothes. Really? That’s their big beef? She wasn’t some beast in the wild that didn’t shower. I had a bigger problem with these kind shop owners, who really looked out for Kya, yet not telling the rich jerk they know is harassing her, to leave their store (instead just giving him his item and saying he didn’t have to pay). I’m not going to worry about whether or not she’d be covered in mosquito and bug bites living out there, or brushed her teeth or hair.
I was impressed with how Kya conveys intelligence, but also naivete. There’s one scene where she’s narrating about why she’s seeing a guy that she senses isn’t so nice. She admits to not loving him, but would rather be with him than be alone. Again, it’s heartbreaking. There are millions of women in relationships like that out in the world. Knowing she doesn’t have many options for meeting men, makes it even more painful to hear.
This movie contained one of the pet peeves I have about courtroom dramas. When something is said by a person on the stand or from an attorney, and it’s the least bit surprising – we hear the jurors and crowd gasping and murmuring in the courtroom. Get out of here with that!
The movie reminded me of a similar premise from a book adaptation I often recommend to people – the Stephen King film called Dolores Clairborne. Kathy Bates is a woman who is picked on by the people in the town, treated horribly by those around her, and is accused of murdering her abusive husband. Fun fact: he’s played by David Straitharn, the retired lawyer in this movie.
This film is far from the brilliant movie that was, but this is a pleasant enough way to pass your time on a summer day.
2 ½ stars out of 5.