Waves
2019 · Directed by Trey Edward Shults
Original language: English
- romance
- drama
The story
A controlling father’s attempts to ensure that his two children succeed in high school backfire after his son experiences a career-ending sports injury. Their familial bonds are eventually placed under severe strain by an unexpected tragedy.
What it’s like
Restless, saturated Florida light: handheld camera pressed close to faces, rapid cuts, and a widescreen frame that keeps opening into sudden stillness. Sunlight glares off pool water and suburban blacktop, interiors glow amber and cold blue, and the shaping of the picture shifts with the characters' moods, so a bright dinner table can feel suddenly claustrophobic. The soundtrack is a constant pulse of contemporary pop and swelling strings, punctuated by hushed passages where the house goes quiet enough to hear breathing. Vibe: sun-drenched anxiety softening into tender, aching grief. It suits a late-night watch alone or a deliberately emotional evening rather than casual background viewing. The pace is fast and turbulent in its first hour, then slows into long, devastating silences as the family fractures and tries to reassemble. A teenager's pressure to perform, a father's love curdled into control, and a sibling bond tested to its limit shape the arc. Intensity: moderate. Brief sports-injury violence, a few sharp arguments, and one sudden tragic event that lands hard; sexual content is present but not explicit. Not gentle. For viewers who want raw family drama, emotionally intense cinema, and stylish, unflinching storytelling about forgiveness.
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