When Waves was released for streaming on Amazon Prime on January 21st, the first thing I did was to turn all the lights off in my dorm, curl up in my bed, and purchase the film. Ever since I had seen the movie’s trailer, I was beyond excited to watch it. It appeared to share some elements of HBO’s Euphoria, with the stunning visuals and its focus on the lives of troubled teenagers. Like other A24 movies -Lady Bird, Eight Grade, The Spectacular Now, Moonlight- the movie boasted of a critically acclaimed director and a stunning cast.
In the film, Kelvin Harrison Jr. plays Tyler, a high school senior on the wrestling team. Sterling K. Brown and Taylor Russell also give excellent performances as Tyler’s father and younger sister. Alexa Demie, who you might know as Maddie on Euphoria, (or, just from being an overall goddess) plays Tyler’s girlfriend, Alexis. Without giving too much away, the film starts off as most good movies do – with a sense of hope and tranquility. It’s summertime in Florida, and Tyler’s life seems perfect. He has a great family, a beautiful girlfriend, and is an incredibly gifted athlete. As the film progresses, Tyler’s life begins to unravel, and it becomes more clear than ever that both himself and his life are far from perfect. About halfway through, the movie crescendos into a horrific tragedy, and for the most part, unexpected. The second half of the movie focuses on Tyler’s sister, Emily, as a sort of “rebirth”. Part of what makes Waves so great is its masterful storytelling of not just one, but two separate but connected stories.
The plot of the film is beautiful, and its cinematography and soundtrack match it perfectly. Featuring music from Frank Ocean, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Chance the Rapper, and more, each shot is made better by songs that perfectly capture the emotions that the film is trying to pull from its audience. There’s one beautiful scene where Tyler and Alexis are embracing each other in the water just as the sun has set, with Rushes from Frank Ocean’s visual album, Endless, playing in the background. In all honesty, I rewound this scene and watched it about five times – that’s how beautiful it was. With the waves lapping against the bodies of Alexis and Tyler, their hushed “I love you” to each other, the glint of Alexis’s neon orange nailpolish against Tyler’s back, and of course, Frank’s beautiful voice singing his broken love songs in the background, the scene couldn’t be made any more perfect even if one tried. The soundtrack lines up with the plot of the film so perfectly that it appears effortless. In another scene, Kanye West’s “I Am a God” blasts loudly while Tyler spirals into a drug-fueled rage. Any lover of cinematography or aesthetically pleasing films will love Waves. Its style is somewhat reminiscent of the Oscars best-picture winner, Moonlight. There are constant parallels made between the lives of Emily and Tyler, with two scenes in particular focusing on the reflection of the red and blue flashing lights of police sirens on their skin, their faces trapped in a trance of grief and utter shock. The mood of the film constantly shifts back and forth between light and dark and hope and despair, at a pace that will leave the audience wondering just how they’re supposed to feel.
Every cast member, including the minor characters, all contribute in making the film into the revelation that it is. Every tear shed, every fight scene and love scene is intimate and thoughtful, without being over dramatic and glorified. Waves is a poignant story of love and loss, where nothing is black and white. It reaches into our souls and prompts us to ask ourselves just what we would be capable of should we be pushed to our breaking point. Waves is many things: a love story, a coming-of-age story, and a smart social criticism dealing with toxic masculinity in the black community, and more. If you haven’t watched Waves yet, I truly hope you do- just make sure to grab a box of tissues first!