Shooting for the Where the Crawdads Sing movie took place in and around Louisiana.
A myriad of people were eagerly awaiting Reese Witherspoon's film adaptation of Delia Owens' book Where the Crawdads Sing. They are so ecstatic that it has finally arrived and is accompanied by a Taylor Swift original song.
Even though there are many reasons to anticipate seeing the book adapted for the big screen, one of them is the location. Kya, the protagonist of the story, earns the moniker "Marsh Girl" because she spends her entire life exploring and learning about North Carolina's vast, sun-dappled wetlands.
Kya has lived in the same place all of her life, and author Owens takes readers there with her by describing it in great detail. In fact, the marsh plays such an important role in Kya's life that it practically has its own personality.
Although the novel is set in North Carolina, it wasn't actually filmed there for unknown reasons. Louisiana's Houma and New Orleans, as well as the areas around them, were the actual locations for the filming.
The movie was shot in the following locations:
Houma, Louisiana
Where the Crawdads Sing's fictional North Carolina town of Barkley Cove was modeled after downtown Houma. The Courier reported that as crews shot scenes for the movie in late June, the area was entirely "transformed to look as it might have in the 1950s and 1960s." Retro makeovers were applied to storefronts, and classic cars were parked alongside the streets.
Fontainebleau and Fairview - Riverside State Parks
Kya's marsh was filmed at Fairview—Riverside State Park in Madisonville, Louisiana, and Fontainebleau State Park in Mandeville, Louisiana. And both places, according to director Olivia Newman, were hot! She confessed to Vanity Fair, "I never sweated so much in my life, but it appears that everything was worthwhile.”
"I think the cinematography is going to blow you away; it's gorgeous," Witherspoon said.
Historic St. Bernard Parish Courthouse
When Kya isn't at the marsh, she's most likely in court, representing herself. Here are some of the narrative's most tense scenes. The Historic St. Bernard Parish Courthouse in Chalmette, Louisiana, served as the location for these scenes. A Sony Pictures Entertainment representative reportedly told Southern Living, “We believe it is safe to say that the location selections for Where the Crawdads Sing were accurate after viewing the trailer and learning that Owens nearly cried after visiting the cast in Louisiana.”
What is Where the Crawdads Sing?
The 2022 American mystery-thriller-drama film Where the Crawdads Sing is based on the 2018 Delia Owens book of the same name. It was produced by Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter and directed by Olivia Newman from a screenplay by Lucy Alibar. The cast includes Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson, Michael Hyatt, and Sterling Macer Jr. Jojo Regina, Garret Dillahunt, Ahna O'Reilly, and David Strathairn are led by Daisy Edgar-Jones.
Sony Pictures released the movie on July 15, 2022, in the United States. Critics gave it mixed reviews, praising Edgar-Allan Jones' performance and the cinematography but finding the overall tone of the movie disorganized. The movie received a more favorable response from the audience, and it became a box office hit, earning $140 million globally on a $24 million budget. The soundtrack for the movie was created by Canadian composer Mychael Danna and features the original song "Carolina" by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.
What is the plot of Where the Crawdads Sing?
After discovering a dead body, Catherine "Kya" Clark is charged with murder. Kya's story starts in 1953, when she and her family are living in a shack in a marsh in North Carolina. Kya's mother and older siblings leave one by one as their abusive, intoxicated father gambles away their money, leaving Kya by herself with him until he too abandons her at the age of seven.
She makes a living by selling mussels at the general store in Barkley Cove. She is referred to by the locals as the "Marsh Girl." Kya began a relationship with popular local quarterback Chase Andrews in 1968. Chase gives Kya a small shell, which she makes into a necklace and gives to him. Kya ends her relationship with Chase when she discovers he is already engaged to another girl.
A year later, Tate returns to Barkley Cove wanting to rekindle their romance. He was Kya's ex-lover before, and Kya learned to read and write with Tate's help. Kya's older brother, Jodie, reappears and tells her their mother died before she was able to reunite her children. Kya rebuffs Chase's persistent attentions and successfully fights off his rape attempt. Chase returns and vandalizes Kya's home while she hides in the bushes.
Days later, Chase is found dead at the bottom of a fire tower, from which he had apparently fallen. Kya is charged with first-degree murder and prejudged by the suspicious townspeople. Though Kya was found not guilty at her 1969 trial on the basis of the unsupported theory, the missing necklace, and the fisherman's testimony,
Kya imagines seeing her mother, when she is in her 70s, boating through the swamp. Tate (now her husband) finds Kya lying dead in the boat at their dock. Tate finds a passage in Kya's journal saying that to protect the prey, sometimes the predator has to be killed.
FAQs
Q. Where was Where The Crawdads Sing was shot?
A. Louisiana locations where The Crawdads Sing was filmed include Houma, Fontainebleau, Fairview, and St. Bernard Parish Courthouse. Lafayette Street, Joe's Cafe, and Lake Pontchartrain are also included.
Q. The novel Where The Crawdads Sing was originally set in?
A. Where The Crawdads Sing was originally set in North Carolina, but was filmed in Louisiana.
Q. Who directed the movie Where The Crawdads Sing?
A. Where The Crawdads Sing was directed by Olivia Newman.
