I went into Waves not knowing what to expect, and that is the perfect way to enter Waves.
Filmed almost like one 2 hour 15 minute music video, the aptly named film cascades over you with nonstop emotion and intensity. For some, this will be “too much” – with Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, or Tame Impala turned up to full blast and the camera frantically spinning around our characters in shaky long shots, this isn’t a movie for your grandparents.
And yet, this is probably the film’s greatest attribute. Waves, perhaps more than any other 2019 film, is an experience. Watching this film is like riding a roller coaster – sometimes exciting, sometimes sickening, always captivating. However, this isn’t a case of style-over-substance: the kinetic and colorful pace works in unison with a tragic first-half storyline that makes for my most intense theater experience so far this year.
As the pace slows for a meditative second half, the film’s themes and messages come into razor-sharp focus and take on a more grand (dare I say epic?) feel. This is where Waves truly differentiates itself from being a run-of-the-mill thriller, and challenges you to ask questions of what it means to be human, to make mistakes, to forgive, and ultimately, to love.
If it sounds like I’m being overly vague (and perhaps a little pretentious), that’s on purpose. Waves accomplished something that’s rare for me in a film: I had no clue what was coming next, and I was absolutely gripped waiting for what would happen to our characters. At the end of it all, the final emotions and message that the film leaves you with is universal for every viewer. This is not just a film about being a young adult, about being an athlete, about being a family, or about being African-American. Waves is about being human.
All of this comes off the back of incredible and endearing performances from Sterling K. Brown, Lucas Hedges, Taylor Russell, and Kelvin Harrison Jr. (in a breakout year after the also-incredible Luce), working in wonderful conjunction with Trey Edward Shults’ urgent direction.
While its epic emotional scope and frantic filming style leads to some inconsistent pacing issues, Waves is something you should absolutely watch if you can get through some hard-to-watch events on screen.
The Cast: Taylor Russell, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Alexa Demie, Sterling K. Brown, Lucas Hedges, Renee Elise Goldsberry
The Elevator Pitch: The tragic story of one American family, filmed like one long Frank Ocean music video.
The Score: 9.25/10
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