Delia Owens’ 2018 novel, Where the Crawdads Sing, took several literary threads – familial strife, isolation, love and betrayal – and quickly rose to prominence. Set against the backdrop of a fictional coastal town and the marshlands of North Carolina, the book was picked by Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Book Club, with Witherspoon deciding to produce the film adaptation.
And now the film’s much-awaited trailer has dropped.
Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and directed by Olivia Newman, the movie’s first look is intense, capturing the stirring melancholy and intrigue that the crime thriller is known for. Edgar-Jones plays Kya (or “The Marsh Girl”, isolated by the rest of her town), who must fight for survival as she finds herself the suspect in an ill-fated murder.
The trailer also delivers a welcome surprise: It is set to the tune of Taylor Swift’s new original, “Carolina”, a perfect melody for the narrative. Swift posted the teaser on Instagram, writing that she “got absolutely lost in” the book, and “wanted to create something haunting and ethereal to match this mesmerizing story”.
Where the Crawdads Sing is set to hit theatres on July 15.
