Waves (2019)

*minor vague spoilers on structure & theme*

Waves is an ambitious, impassioned, and honest depiction of the trials and tribulations that reverberate through our lives. It is slice of life cinema that brings us so urgently into human moments at an intimacy I haven't seen since Honeyland or Roma. It's about the weight of our personal battles, but also about rediscovering family, love, and some sense of normalcy in a world that can grow tumultuous and overbearing.

Waves, however, is primarily a sensory experience. The meticulous, immersive film & sound editing is notably well done, with visuals & colors that reflect character & mood, thoughtfully crafted transitions, and a jarring shift in tone and theme (writer/director Trey Edward Schultz apparently does all the editing himself!). There is essentially an anxiety-filled Krisha-like chapter accompanied by a fantastic score from Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails, followed by a lighter, more weightless Terrence Malick chapter. The camera communicates theme and emotion through all of this extraordinarily well.

Wonderful casting & chemistry. It's sincerely difficult to pick a favorite character when each one is written and acted so well. A few minor issues with the first half, including the medical probability of a particular event and the dynamic style being a bit heavy-handed initially. The second half emotionally wrecked the audience, as tears and sobs filled the Opera House throughout this portion. At times I thought of Lee Chang-dong's masterful meditation on grief, Secret Sunshine in the way the film spends time in silence, self-discovery, and learning to love again.

The opening shot of the film begins with the sound of heavy breathing in and out. Amidst all the chaos in life, it never again feels we can reduce life back down to these peaceful respiratory oscillations that keep us alive and moving forward.

DFF42 Red Carpet Presentation

Fmovies: Wonderful film. And it is very close to my heart as I could identify myself with the dad of a teenage son. Wish I asked my son to see this movies with me ... would have a real profound impact. Very low key and underrated ... but great performances to hold together this disturbing topic

This film evoked every emotion in me all within two hours. It felt not like a singular epic but an intertwined epic that followed the strong sloshing of the waves of life. My friend I didnt even dpoke after we left the theater, we walked down to the park and sat under a tree and finally broke the silence- that movie was beautiful. It was filled with pain and angry and love and felt so realistic while maintaining a sense of proliferation. Please watch waves. The music, music editing , editing , directing and acting are perfect . The script is great and fills me with nothing but raw emotion.

Waves fmovies. I found the first part of the movie really captivating, intense, credible and very well acted. When the focus switches to the second teen in the families the whole plot becomes very mellow (still very well acted though but diminishing the overall impact).

My friends and I thought we watched a couple of movies last night. The character development in the first half was slim at best depending on music and gadgetry to do the work for the writers. The second half was better but seemed to tie things up in a feel good story tale ending, even introducing a deathbed father who we had hardly heard about at the end to completely the fairytale. I thought nothing was left on the cutting room floor until the Q&A afterward when the director said that the original was 3 1/2 hours. I consider this movie an example of directorial narcissism.

Just saw this movie at TIFF, it lives up to the hype and then some. Trey Edward Shults is the next Chazelle/Jenkins. It hit me on a deeper emotional level than any movie I have seen before. SEE WAVES!