Michele Kerry

Maybe if I hadn't read the book first, I might have enjoyed the movie a lot more. But perhaps not. The film, in my opinion, lacked the depth needed to capture the emotional wallop of the novel. Too little character development and it all felt rushed and underwhelming. The actors chosen to play Kya, Chase and Tate didn't really fit the description of them in the book, with the exception of Kya's dark brown hair and eyes, so that was disappointing as well, though I will admit that the actors themselves did an OK job of portraying each character in the key scenes that WERE included in the film. So many of what I consider to be important parts of the book, were absent in the movie - leaving it almost hollowed out. Again, the author of the book wrote a beautiful story full of depth, where the characters feel real and complete, and the marsh is a place of wonder and awe inspiring intricacy and beauty. Some of that marsh inspiration was present in the movie but without figuring on the trauma that Kya endured, and her aloneness in the marsh as a very young girl trying to survive, the movie absolutely fell short. If you want to completely immerse yourself in this beautiful, poignant coming of age story and the power of self resilience and love, skip the movie and get yourself the book.