Bryden Doyle | Contributor
Featured Image: From left to right—TIFF programmer Michael Lurman, writer-director Trey Edward Shults, and the cast of Waves. | Bryden Doyle
Writer-director Trey Edward Shults’s two previous films—a family drama Krisha and horror feature It Comes at Night—were unrelentingly bleak stories of tightly knit families falling apart. At first, Shults’s third feature Waves seems as if it’s heading in a similarly harrowing direction, but it gradually evolves into a hopeful coming-of-age story.
The film’s first half centers on Tyler (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), a teenager who seems to have it all, including a loving girlfriend named Alexis (Alexa Demie), a luxurious house, and a promising wrestling career. A number of factors soon upend Tyler’s life. His rocky relationship with his taskmaster father Ronald (Sterling K. Brown) frays with each interaction. A worsening shoulder injury leads to dependence on pain pills. Alexis reveals that she’s pregnant and wants to keep the baby.
When a horrible tragedy occurs, the film suddenly shifts focus towards Tyler’s younger sister, Emily (Taylor Russell), as she reels from this tragedy, ultimately finding solace in a romance with kind-hearted classmate Luke (Lucas Hedges).
In the first half, cinematographer Drew Daniels’ camerawork is frenetic with woozy 360-degree shots, tight close-ups of characters’ faces, and whip pans taking viewers from one shot to the next. Shults and co-editor Isaac Hagy employ harsh sound cues to create unease. The Fast and Furious style can be abrasive, but aptly conveys the chaos encompassing Tyler’s life.
With its high-pitched, atonal din, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score creates an anxiety-ridden aural atmosphere. Shults also includes contemporary music cues, including Kanye West’s “I Am A God” with its shrieking vocals and groaning instrumentation perfectly sound-tracking a character’s nervous breakdown.
In its second half, Waves changes in look and sound. Emily’s depressed mindset is conveyed by a shot of her walking alone under an overcast sky, but as she’s rejuvenated by romance, the sky turns a clearer blue, and the trees and grass turn a richer green. The camera movements become steadier and more deliberate. The score becomes more plaintive, with forlorn strings and sparse piano melodies.
The performances are terrific across the board. Harrison shows many different sides to Tyler. His face is often taut as if he’s trying not to cry. He can be gentle and tender, but is also susceptible to startling bursts of rage. Even at his angriest, though, Harrison’s broken voice reveals wounded vulnerability underneath. Russell initially plays Emily as a wallflower with a feeble voice and stooped posture. As Emily opens up more, Russell straightens up her posture and becomes a more energized, open-faced presence. Brown conveys Ronald’s intimidation with hard and unfaltering gazes, confidently projected line readings, and terse physical gestures, before peeling back these hardened layers in a heartbreaking father-daughter talk late in the film.
At 135 minutes, Waves slightly over-extends itself. At the post-screening Q&A, Shults and Russell noted that lots of footage was cut out and it’s evident in how certain supporting characters get sidelined.
Regardless, Waves is exceptionally moving and well-made, putting viewers through the wringer before rewarding them with a sliver of optimism. As Shults explains: “Life doesn’t just end at the worst moment. You have your highs and your lows, but that’s what makes it everything and that’s what makes it beautiful I think.”
Waves will be released in theatres on November 1, 2019.
