“Where the Crawfish Sing” is a novel of the same name by Delia Oeun, which received a screening permit in 2022. For those who have not read this book, the entire understanding of the film will be based only on the inner thoughts and experiences of director Olivia Newman. This film adaptation has become the one that captured the hearts of millions of viewers. It is distinguished by its special beauty, where even the most disgusting swamps can create an atmosphere of comfort and peace. The story is about a sweet girl – Kaya Clark, who was born in North Carolina, in the swamps. E’s life has been very difficult, but despite all the hardships, she survives. Soon everything began to change dramatically and the girl is accused of killing Chase Andrews, the city’s popular defender.
The meaning of the film “Where the crayfish sing”
It’s already clear from the title that the film was based on crabs, but why they have such significance in the film remains a mystery. The thing is that crayfish themselves are very fragile and harmless creatures, reminiscent of lobsters with shells. At the very beginning, the main character mentioned that quite often society forgets about what the shell can hide in itself. In truth, the girl herself was in her shell, and many tenants completely forgot that the girl also has feelings and experiences. It is for this reason that Kaya constantly hid from the locals, being always alone.
The very title of the book – “Crayfish”, is endowed with a special meaning. Kaya’s mother constantly told the girl to go deep into the forest and listen to the chirping of nature. Every time Kaya came to the forest, she enjoyed nature and learned new stories about those residents. Despite the fact that sea creatures do not have the skill of singing, this lesson helped Kaya survive in a difficult situation.
An equally interesting fact from the film is that the main character doted on feathers. For the girl, this part of nature was very important compared to the rest of the guys. Every feather Kaya found was unique. She saw in them something different, unlike other signs of nature. She not only collected them, but also painted and kept them at home.
The girl suffered the destruction of her own family especially hard. It all started from the moment when the girl was in infancy. At that time she was completely alone, because her father was a tyrant. In the end, the father leaves, leaving the girl alone in the swamp. He forever abandoned the little daughter, like her mother.
His decision to leave home was influenced by a letter that came to him from Kaya’s mother. She mentioned in it that she would like to take the children with her. The man is furious, burns everything that was given to his wife and gets drunk to a poisonous state.
Many viewers who have never opened the book will be horrified when they learn that Kaya did kill Chase after all. But why? How did she manage to do it? Because of the terrible relationships in the family, the girl always felt like a hermit. She repeatedly tried to talk to Chase and tell him the whole problem, but the guy was too persistent. Kaya decides to kill the guy because she is afraid to live her whole life in fear, as before. She wanted to save herself from the horror that happened to her in childhood.
The girl never felt proper support from the locals, so she always struggled with her problems on her own. She was often by herself, listening to nature and enjoying the scenery.
How was Chase Andrews killed?
In the film, we are never shown the moment Andrews was killed, but there is a mention of how Kaya could have done it. The heroine held a conference with book publishers after Chase’s death, which gave her an alibi. But there was a short period of time when she could commit murder. Kaya chose a motel close to the bus stop, and after dinner with the publishers, she probably left on the last bus. Then she lured Chase to the top of the observation deck and pushed him down.
She then wiped all her fingerprints and took the first bus back to the motel to meet again with the publishers, who commented that she was “deadpan” at their next meeting. Judging by what she saw in the film, Kaya did not tell absolutely anyone about the murder and she was absolutely not worried about the crime committed.
Explanation of the ending of the film “Where the crayfish sing”
The answers to all the questions of the audience are hidden only in the character of Kaya. In order to understand her position and behavior in more detail, it is necessary to constantly remember that she was abandoned by her relatives at a young age. She was never one of those who considered love something special. Her thoughts were always filled with horror that she might be abandoned. In addition to her parents, she also had a brother and sister who were lost along with their parents. She was grateful only to her brother Jody, who after a long time returned to her to visit her sister. The girl grew up under the cruel upbringing of her father, constantly saw him drunk and angry. Kaya often woke up from her mother’s screams when her father began torturing her. Each of these incidents had an enormous impact on the girl’s perception. She learned to persevere and not lose heart, but inside she had a huge amount of mental trauma.
Her single whole is the swamp in which she grew up. Everything that surrounded her was her family, her home. She adored the singing of birds, the chirping of insects, the quiet splashing of water. She was able to find a place for solitude, so that at least for a few hours she would feel safe and not worry about problems. The girl entered the city for only one reason – Aunt Mabel’s permission to go to school so that she could eat there. However, everything intimidated her even more when the young guys in every possible way laughed at her, at her appearance and behavior. Tom Milton, a lawyer, was the only person who still persuaded the young lady to go to school.
Adolescence gave her Tate. The girl had to overcome herself so that only a few years later she could trust him, open up to him. Together they studied the swamp, learned to read and write. He took a special interest. His tenderness attracted Kaya, because she had never felt such a home. The girl was already ready for more physical contact, but Tate immediately stopped her. At that time, he already knew that he would have to leave the city and leave to study, so he did not want to hurt Kaya with his own words and actions. He perfectly understood how Kaya would feel after the first time, so he left her very soon.
Kaya is alone again. She again felt a surge of those emotions, as then. She was again abandoned by a loved one. Before leaving, her friend sent her a small list of publishers where the girl could send her work and receive a monetary reward for this. She understood that she really needed money to pay for a place in the swamp. She decides to submit her own shell research and ends up getting enough money to pay for repairs and taxes.
An important element of the film is nature itself. The director described her so beautifully that the viewer watches her as a separate character. The swamp is not just a home for Kaya, but, above all, support and support. The viewer watches the picture where the girl stole the necklace. Experts believe that such an action was provoked for a reason. Kaya was sure Chase didn’t deserve to wear it around her neck.
Soon she stopped hiding, pretending, but still did not allow any man to offend her. She remembered all the insults and humiliations of her father, so she clearly knew for herself that she did not want such a fate.
The main thing that Kaya learned while living in the swamp is that death without death is tragic. She often did things that would be a sin to call fair.
“Where the Crayfish Sing” is a deep film about the plight of a little girl Kaya, who was insulted and humiliated by her father. The name carries a deep meaning – she went into the swamp only when she felt insulted and humiliated by her father. He implied with every word and action that his daughter should go deep enough so that she could hear cancer. It was “thanks” to her father that Kaya learned to be strong, stand her ground and hide her secrets deep in herself, namely, in the swamp.
Ending Explanation: Hints
The ending is shocking as the entire plot was played out in such a way as to make the audience believe in the heroine’s innocence. But throughout the film, there are several clues that she is the killer. The first moment is Chase’s incredible cruelty to Kya: he cornered her, not going to take no for an answer. He loved her, but constantly showed signs of abuse. When she did not consent to sexual relations, he almost raped her. It all ended with Kia saying that she would “kill him” if he got close to her again.
We see that Kaya is taking care of the house in the swamp and is not going to run away to the real world. She updated the property deeds with the money she made from her book. But Chase continues to threaten her, arriving, mistreating her, and also looking forward to a relationship (and this despite the fact that he is engaged to someone in the city.
From Kaya’s point of view, Chase was the only obstacle to the life she wanted. In addition, the night before the murder, during a meeting with the publishers, there is a discussion of some of the animals in the book that have a violent nature. Her colleagues despise such behavior. Kaya, on the other hand, believes that nature has no dark side, only “inventive ways to survive.”
Reasons for Kiya’s actions
To better understand Kaya’s actions, one must delve into her life. First, she grew up under the care of an abusive father who regularly resorted to violence. This led to the fact that her entire family left not only him, but also her, and she was the youngest child in the family. Due to this experience, Kaya developed a deep trauma for a number of reasons: being abandoned, as well as feeling insecure outside the swamps.
When she tries to go to school for a day, she is made fun of and faces abuse from her peers. Then Kaya decides that she will learn from nature, and not live in society. So she matures, actively studying animals as a source of education. Based on this, it can be assumed that her thinking is akin to the food chain of animals that, when threatened, do not talk about it or leave their territory, but protect it and kill the threat if necessary. This is exactly what Kaya did. That’s why I never thought I did anything wrong.
