Review: Waves (2019)

TIFF: Waves (2019)

Waves was the one film this year that, going in, I really knew nothing about other than it was about two young couples growing up in the southern US. Generally speaking, I would say that I often have a decent amount of info going into a movie and I found that it was an overly nice surprise having no preconceived notions or expectations as I watched Waves. Writer/director, Trey Edwards Shults, had really only had one notable prior film, It Comes at Night, but I have not actually seen it myself. And so, when I saw Waves this past Tuesday evening it was very much an open canvass for me.

Due to surprising events that happen in the film that very much dictate its second half I cannot add much more to the brief summary I've given above. I can say that the film is about a young African American family living in Florida who deal with many contemporary issues that other similar families have to contend with across the US and abroad. The dad and step-mom are played by Sterling K. Brown and Renee Elise Goldsberry, their kids by Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Taylor Russell, and their respective partners by Alexa Demie and Lucas Hedges. The cast are all utterly fantastic with the young Harrison Jr. and Russell in particular giving strong and memorable performances. (A highlight for my mom's week, who joined in for TIFF this year, had to be her getting a wonderful photo with Sterling K Brown that instilled in her a giddy star-struckedness that was really rather entertaining to observe.)

I know that I am keeping things a bit vague here but I do believe that watching this film without much knowledge of it will enhance the experience. Shults and his DP, Drew Daniels, are admirably inventive here, playing with structure, camera motion, aspect ratio and unique framing - altogether creating one of the most innovative and empathetic films of the year.

Overall, Waves is an absolute must-see: it is an intoxicating and affecting journey following the tumultuous ebbs and flows of a very relatable American family and the struggles and triumphs they must overcome apart and together. The film is a calling card for the immense talent of Shults and the cast and crew he has put together here. It was an honour being able to speak to him for a moment after the screening to tell him that, as a film student, I was inspired and challenged to create something akin to the high calibre of his Waves.