New Movie Review: WAVES
I know that I can’t do this film justice, but I’m going to try my best. Both technically extraordinary and emotionally devastating, Waves is a uniquely enveloping cinematic experience that I don’t have the words to adequately describe.
Writer/director Trey Edward Shults (Krisha, It Comes at Night) is an expert at crafting intimate, moving family dramas, and Waves is his best effort to date. The film tells the story of a domineering father, a brash son, a timid daughter, and a loving stepmother trying to hold everyone together. The first half follows teenage son Tyler (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) as he fights through a wrestling injury and struggles in his relationship with his girlfriend. After investing heavily in his lead character, Shults takes a huge risk and abandons him halfway through the film, shifting perspective to Tyler’s sister Emily (Taylor Russell in a star-making role) as she deals with the aftermath of a tragic event. Most filmmakers would struggle to pull this off, but Shults executes the transition seamlessly, revealing a new dimension to the family’s complex dynamics.
Waves is a lot of things. It’s a coming of age story. It’s a meditation on grief. It’s an analysis of marriage and how a single event can knock it off its delicate course. But most of all, it’s a commentary on love and forgiveness and their necessity to living a healthy life. Forgiveness doesn’t exist to relieve the guilt of the aggressor, but rather to mend the soul of the forgiver.
These themes are enriched by the simultaneously beautiful and stressful cinematography of Drew Daniels, a frequent collaborator of Shults’. He utilizes vibrant colors, long tracking shots, and 360-degree camera turns to immerse the audience in the story. Additionally, Shults employs an amazing soundtrack, including songs from music legends Dinah Washington, Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Chance The Rapper, and Frank Ocean to achieve the perfect tone in each scene.
Simply put, Waves is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time. It’s beautiful and captivating, and you should go see it. My words don’t properly reflect its brilliance, but I’m not sure what else to say.
Waves is currently playing at Alamo Drafthouse’s South Lamar location.
Michael Dixon is a mild mannered accountant by day and a mild mannered movie watcher by night. He will not do your taxes for you. He lives in Austin, Texas with his lovely television and collection of fine whiskies. You can’t purchase his book anywhere because it doesn’t exist.
