The journey and lives of a Suburban family in Florida is tested as they navigate love, time, and forgiveness.
A24 has done it again. This production company is by far the best thing that has happened to modern-day cinema. They only produce originals films and there has not been one bad release since their debut. I thought they outdid themselves with “The Lighthouse” and now we have “Waves”, and I’m truly convinced that this company is from another planet.
There’s a lot that can be spoiled here so I’m going to keep this one brief.
This film is a ticking time bomb. It’s extremely emotional, intense, and highly uncomfortable. However, do not get me wrong, this is entirely a love story. “Waves” is centered around a family that undergoes a plethora of trials and tribulations and for some reason it only gets worst. Somehow, the film gets you to sympathize with everyone, and honestly that’s what hurts the most. This film will hit close to home. It’s the type of love many have experienced, and it truly touches the memories we try to fade away.
Director Trey Edward Shults created a specific story arc. Similar to “The Place Beyond The Pines”, this film deals with multiple love stories that interconnects throughout the film and over the course of time. It’s fast paced and controversially a breath of fresh air. Notably, Trey uses grand music to depict each character’s emotion in a scene and it works beautifully. Although, I did feel that a few scenes did not need music at all, the soundtrack made up for it (Frank Ocean is all up in this). The cinematography also uses a few bits of shaky cam so get ready to put your eyes to work, but it's all intentional. After the first five minutes, the style becomes natural and you'll be fully immersed in no time.
Now the performances. We all know Sterling K. Brown can act circles around most people in Hollywood today, and if you've seen any episode of “This Is Us”, you’ll know that he’s right in his element. He’s great in this film but honestly, this is not his movie. The lead, Kelvin Harrison Jr. is fantastic in this film. If you didn’t notice him before, you will notice him now. Another standout is Taylor Russell who plays his younger sister. For me, this is her world and we just live in it. Her performance is remarkable and extremely personable. I felt every part of her life as if it were mine. There’s no doubt that we will be seeing more of her soon. Alexa Demie (Euphoria) is also riveting in this film. Her best performance yet and I'm so glad we get to see more of her.
With not many love stories on the market, “Waves” is a breakthrough classic for dramatic cinema. It’s not your typical “Dear John” fantasy either, this is much closer to reality. Not one moment did I sit back and think that any of this was fake, because I have seen some of these actions myself. A power that only a great film can accomplish.
As far as drama/romance for 2019, “Waves” has shot itself to the top of the list.
Watch this with wine. It will make you feel better.
