Film Review: Waves
Credit: A24
By Erik Nielsen
Water is a powerful symbol. It can act as a means of rebirth, baptism, loss and a way of letting go. Waves, the latest film from A24 veteran Trey Edward Schultz is not only looking for catharsis for his characters but is also pleading with its audience to be more loving and forgiving. A film that wants to drown you in our deepest and most painful emotions while only giving the slightest bit of air once he’s ready to let you go. Waves will wash over and suffocate you until you come up loving, again.
Trey Edward Schultz shoots us out of a canon in the opening minutes, setting the stage with a beautiful, twirling 360 degrees shot as young lovers Tyler (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) and Lexi (Alexa Demie) sing Frank Ocean together while coasting the Miami highway. What then precedes is an incredible 3-minute opening credit sequence set to “Be Above It” by Tame Impala (the soundtrack is immaculate) as we follow Tyler through his day - relentlessly training for wrestling and track, juggling an intense school schedule and his girlfriend. It felt like we spent 5 years with the kid but in reality, it was only a day. That is what wowed me right off the bat with this film, Schultz creates moments for us where we can fully understand the characters and what they’re going through, he doesn’t need full scenes to do so.
Credit: A24
The relentless training comes by way of the domineering patriarch played with an uncanny brilliance from Sterling K. Brown who should surely get award buzz for his performance. The film sets its eyes on toxic masculinity, a precedent set by the father that greatly effects Tyler and his attitude towards his dad. This makes the wrestling scenes feel like they’re out of a horror movie as Schultz traps us in the psyche of a kid who desperately wants to live up to his father expectations and is also terrified to fail. The camerawork is swirling, quick and abrasive but is also heightened by the hair-raising score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, their best work together since The Social Network. The fights always lead to after-hours sparring matches where Tyler’s dad knocks him around, showing him what he did wrong.
The repercussion of Tyler’s fear lead him to lie about a shoulder surgery he desperately needs. Surgery means no athletic scholarship and he quickly picks up where his dad, who also had a sports injury, left off. He raids his medicine cabinet for oxycodone and gets hooked on the drugs quickly while also picking up a nasty drinking habit. This creates a downward spiral affecting his standing at school, his relationship with his parents as well as his relationship with his girlfriend who he learns is pregnant and wants to keep the baby. The trauma comes in waves, and Tyler, begins to deteriorate.
Credit: A24
Waves is so smart about how millennial's communicate, not only that male rage is often bottled up but how texting between loved ones can lead to even greater feelings of isolation, especially when you’re texting about a break-up instead of having a face to face conversation. It should also be said that Kelvin Harrison Jr. is having an incredible year. His performance in Luce was so complex, he is clearly an illustrating actor who can paint a portrait of a character in a variety of colors. There’s so much internally Tyler has to battle that when he finally comes outward, albeit violently, we understand why.
The film is not only bold in terms of style as we get drenched in colors and sounds that drudge up deep emotional states for our characters and do not always advance the plot but Schultz also completely shifts the perspective of the film at about the halfway point. Moving us now to the point of view of Tyler’s sister, Emily (Taylor Russell), who was a background character for most of the film. She is our new gaze into the struggling family dynamic, giving us a glimpse of her loneliness but also a new window into her father's soul, allowing us time to watch her parents struggle with the withering decay of their son, as each struggles to understand what happened to him.
Credit: A24
She also has to be strong for her new boyfriend, Luke (Lucas Hedges), who has father problems of his own. His dad who was a drug addict and beat him and his mom disappeared for 10 years and he now learns his dad has a week left to live. He doesn’t want to see him but Taylor relays the message that echoes throughout the entire movie - that being loving and forgiving will make you stronger but it could also prolong life. The scenes at the hospital with Luke’s dad are emotionally jarring and give way to a new place in Taylor’s heart for her brother and distant father.
Schultz is so good at giving each one of his characters and actors the space to breathe in their own setting, clearly defining why they grieve, why they’re angry and why they feel like the world is cheating them without ever making excuses for what bad decisions they make. But, this also sets us up for the tears, as each member of the family is ultimately looking for reconciliation and because they’ve been so open, are met with loving forgiveness that is powerful, shocking and cathartic.
Every main player in the movie could’ve had their own film. Each character is so well drawn out and realized, it’s a testament to Schultz’s fine eye for detail but also an incredible storytelling prowess that is evident in every frame and angle of the movie. Waves will resonate with those who have an open heart to something loud, abrasive, bold and ambitious. Each moment lingers with surprising gravitas, invading our personal space and evolves from scene to scene - culminating into something that will stay with you long after the end credits roll. In a banner year for A24, Waves stands among the best.
