Trey Edward Shults proved to be a powerful director in the compact settings of his debut, Krisha, and follow-up, It Comes At Night, but it is on his third feature, Waves, that he breaks open his worldview and truly shows the depths of his talent. Without giving too much away, Waves tells the story of two African American teenagers attempting to navigate all of the complications that life throws at them while contending with a father who expects excellence at all times. The way this story is structured and unfolds is a staggering work of beauty and catharsis. Waves is one of the best movies of 2019.
The first half of the movie mostly focuses on Tyler, played by an incredible Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Luce), a popular wrestler who is in love with his girlfriend and is always being pushed by his father to be the best. Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us) gives a powerhouse performance as his father who believes being black in America means having to succeed at the highest level just to break even in a white world. It is in this pressure to succeed that cracks start form in the foundation of Tyler’s psyche, and the way in which this manifests is an intense experience for the audience.
The latter half of the movie tells the story of Tyler’s sister Emily, newcomer Taylor Russell in a performance that should have easily secured her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Emily lives in the shadow of Tyler with a quiet melancholy that only begins to dissipate as she is befriended by Luke, the always dependable Lucas Hedges. The initial scenes between the two are so natural and heartwarming that you are left wanting to be a fly on the wall for hours. As you learn about Luke and his emotionally messy family history, Emily is able to open up more, and the audience witnesses how these two are lifting each other up in the best way.
The way in which these siblings have their stories intertwined along with their differing relationships with their father is intricately textured and emotionally cathartic, making this essential viewing. The ramifications of pursuing exceptionalism are fully explored here as one experience begets another and we are left to reflect upon what is truly important. Waves is ultimately a story about forgiveness, both with others and within yourself.
Video Quality
Waves was shot digitally and finished on a 2K DI which lends itself to beautiful, bold colors, deep black levels and crystal clear details. Shults uses shifting aspect ratios throughout to convey the inner feelings of the characters to really satisfying results. The technique is used in such a subtle manner that you are never pulled out of the film as an audience. The gorgeous cinematography is perfectly replicated on this Blu-Ray to match how it looked in theaters. It would have been incredible to see this film get the HDR treatment on a 4K UHD disc, but this is still a truly stunning transfer.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray disc arrives with a very powerful DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix that should impress fans of the movie. While the movie is not a barnburner in terms of set pieces, the movie comes alive with a dynamic soundtrack featuring the likes of Tame Impala and Kendrick Lamar along with an enveloping score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Dialogue and a good portion of the sound effects are dedicated to front and center channels while several party and crowd sequences give the full setup a good workout. As with the cinematography, the film uses audio to bring awareness to the inner lives of the characters in a notable bit of sound design. The 5.1 track presented here should not leave anyone disappointed.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary Track: Writer/Director Trey Edward Shults is joined by Actor Kelvin Harrison Jr. in a very entertaining and informative discussion. Harrison Jr. comes prepared with questions for Shults that keeps the track lively throughout while still giving the two friends the space to be more extemporaneous. The audience is given more insight into the headspace of the characters along with how personal and autobiographical large portions of the film are for Shults.
- Creating Waves: While primarily a package of the director and actors discussing what the film meant to them and how much they enjoyed working on it, there are a few good tidbits in here for fans of the film.
- Q&A with Director and Cast: A 30 minute post-screening Q&A is presented here with Writer/Director Trey Edward Shults and the entire main cast minus Lucas Hedges. There is a lot to love in this as you get some emotional and insightful moments from the cast. Everyone is given their moment to shine, but Sterling K. Brown steals the show with his humor and passion.
- Deleted Scenes: There are seven deleted scenes presented here totaling 13 minutes. While the scenes provide some interesting texture, it is ultimately a wise decision that these scenes were cut out of an already lengthy movie.
Final Thoughts
Waves is one of the great underappreciated gems to come out of 2019. This sprawling epic provides some incredible performances from the entire cast, emotionally honest character writing, and some stunning cinematography wrapped up in a story of love and forgiveness. Lionsgate Home Entertainment provides fans of the movie with a technically impressive Blu-Ray along with some entertaining special features. Highly Recommended
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
