Danielle ’s answer to “So, if she did it, then she WAS the "guy" in disguise on the bus? It was kind of a disappointing en…” > Likes and Comments

I agree that she murdered him in cold blood and it seems a bit out of character for her to be so calculating when doing it. But really, what other choice did she had?
She couldn't go to the authorities because no one would believe her, she had years and years of prejudice agaisnt her, besides, as she says at some point, they would maybe just think she was a whore, because people probably saw her with Chase throught the years, even if that doesn't mean anything and doesn't rule out that the last encounter they had was not consensual.
So, she couldn't go to the authorities or tell anyone else who might help her. What choices did she had left?
1) She could have run away from the marsh, go live in another town and make sure he didn't find her, but honestly, could you really picture her living somewhere else? that whole time she was in jail she was more worried about living away from her marsh than about being killed if she was found guilty. Being away for the marsh is the one thing she couldn't tolerate, so she would've never decide to escape.

2) She could've continue living in the marsh, hiding away, worried everyday about Chase appearing out of nowhere and finally raping her, beating her and quite possibly killing her. And he would've done it in the end, He was not going to stop stalking her until she found her,

Kya knew that, she knew he wouldn't give up, she knew neither of them would leave and move to other town and she had too much of a surviving instinct to live in fear her whole life, so I don't really the murder is unjustified.

However, having said all that, I might get why she did it, and why in her mind it was the only choice that made sense, but I don't get how she did it. I don't think it was explained how she carried out a plan like that, a plan so calculated and dependant on outside factors. I would have liked to have a flashback depicting how she came to that decision, what was her state of mind when she decided to do it and while carrying out the plan. I don't think she was calm or sure that everything would work out the way she planned. I think she probably was quite afraid and unsure about what she was doing. She had a huge surviving instinc, but she did not have a malicious nature, so I doubt that she was cold and calculating as you might thing from reading the poem at the end

I think the film handles this very well. They don't dwell on the way the crime was carried out and they make it seem understandable that she killed him.

I thought it was her due to her thoughts, and poems. I did not think less of her for murdering him. It was the only way for her to live without fear and hiding.

His beating her might have lead to his murdering her; and he would likely have gotten away with it.