One of my favorite books and films is Where the Crawdads Sing, so it's only fitting that this shot has stayed with me since watching the movie. This movie was directed by Olivia Newman and released in 2022, so it's still a relatively recent film. In this shot, we see Kaya sitting on her bed, still in her childhood home on the screened in porch. She has some of her drawings of nature hanging behind her, as she's going through one of her books about the marsh. Kaya grew up in an abusive home with her parents, and she's the youngest of 5 siblings. Her mom ended up walking out on the family in fear of her life, and gradually all of Kaya's siblings also left, leaving Kaya and her abusive dad behind. Long after her dad died, Kaya remained in the same house because she was comfortable living alone in the marsh, away from everyone else. With her back towards the window, it helps to show the audience how Kaya is closed off with new people, and doesn't want to be part of anything going on in the town. Growing up, she was always looked at differently since she was from the Marsh, and ever since she has been against making friends with people from the town.Even though her back is still towards the world, the use of lighting makes this an important shot. Seeing the light come through the window and showing the details of her drawings helps to set the tone during that moment. Kaya has learned to exploit her knowledge of the marsh and her talents of drawing, and the director was able to show the audience how much her life has gotten better since the scene is brighter than other moments. The natural sunlight and warm colors coming in through the windows shows how happy Kaya is now that she's doing something she loves, and with someone who supports her through her journey.
I don't think I would change this shot because it perfectly depicts how her life got better. All the drawings on the wall where in the book that she published, which she ended up making money off of and being able to better her life with. While the movie does have another low point after this shot, the audience feels a sense of comfort while watching it because we see how she will be able to get through anything thrown her way.
