Waves

High school senior Tyler Williams is on top of the world. His family is supportive and well off. He has his friends and a beautiful girlfriend. He's a star wrestler at school. His father (Sterling K. Brown) pushes hard but he does it out of concern. A nagging injury turns out to be more. A series of self-inflicted problems and unforeseen difficulties come at him in waves.

I like this movie as soon as it starts. It begins with a great cinematic vision. Then it turns into a compelling character study of a family. I am a little conflicted about the divide in the movie. It would have been perfectly great to wrap up the movie soon after the midway point. I do see the value of the change over but it does split the movie in two. Also, it gets a little long at over two hours. It may be worthwhile to give the sister more screen time in the first half. Overall, it's a compelling study of this family.

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).

There's some exquisite lighting effects in "Waves," from a crackling fire to police light bars and rainbows, which is complimented by occasionally kinetic montage and hand-held camera movement. Quite a few shots tracking behind figures' heads in this one. And all of the bobbing of the frame coalesces with the rhythm of the soundtrack. The narrative is something of a rigmarole, though. Following the oscillations of a suburban African-American family in crisis, from teenage son wrestler abusing painkillers for his injured shoulder while fighting with his girlfriend over pregnancy, to the daughter dating one of her brother's teammates, I guess, while the father and mother struggle with their relationship and business. The melodramatic climax actually occurs in the middle of the picture, and it's intense. Even the aspect ratio closes in from the usual rectangle to more of a square tending to frame the characters' faces.

Yet, tracking the immature emotional waves of teenagers for over two hours, in what is essentially two pictures in one with two separate protagonists, is exhausting. Nary any intellectual engagement is to be had. The score is all over the place and generally prominent. Maybe you'll like the music and maybe you won't, or perhaps you'll be like me and like some it and not the rest. The problem, however, is that the picture relies too heavily upon it. Teens, their music and feelings. Lots of scenes merely of figures riding around in cars. Drama frequently trying to be wrought from texting and social media. When the tortuous theatrics are, at last, wrapped up, it comes as a relief.

31-year-old director Trey Edward Shults didn't decide to go modest with his third feature. Waves is a big, broad movie, about many relationships, many deep feelings, many social issues. It doesn't always succeed, but boy, it was worth the effort!

Shults focuses on an upscale African-American family in an affluent suburb in Florida. The son's a HS wrestling star, the daughter is quiet and sweet, the dad's successful but tough on his kids because he knows the cost of success particularly for a black family, and the mom, who's in medicine, is an empathic parent. But this seemingly idyllic set-up is shattered in the first minute by the jumping camera and raucous music. The tension is palpable. Something is going to happen throughout this film, but we don't quite know what. (Fear of the unknown was a hallmark of Shults's other notable film, It Comes at Night.)

So this movie is not for the faint-hearted, but it's got a lot to say. About fathers and sons, parents and children, young love, sharing (or not sharing) secrets, hate, anger, and forgiveness, and the effects that great pain - physical and psychic - have on the soul. Needless to say, with this ambitious an agenda, some things work better than others. Some silly plot errors bugged me, but maybe it just doesn't matter much. Another issue that's been raised: a white director working with a black-centric story; didn't bother me, but it's been talked about. Still, the film is never boring, never static, and never mails it in. Even if 75% of the plot and message works, that was good enough for me. It is NOT easy to watch, but it has a lot to say.

Fasten your seatbelts!

I love a good story, and to be honest this film has quite a simple, albeit interesting and emotional story. But this film isn't about just a simple sad story, it's about the emotional connection between the characters. The cinematography is astounding.. great colour, close ups and longish periods of seeing an extended reaction. Might sound completely dire, but actually the actors were up to the challenge and create unique and engaging characters who you genuinely feel for. And isn't a simple good/bad film or people. You can see flaws and loveable traits in them all. The way the director characterises adolescent love is intense, genuine and beautiful. It really is a work of art, not because it's strange (it isn't) but because it manages to capture emotions in such a realistic way that delve into your own heart, in a way that you couldn't even do yourself. I have not seen a film that was able to do what this film did. Despite not having a particularly engaging story, I was indulging in every second of this film, mesmorised.

So why just an 8? I'm not really sure. It deserves a 9, but part of me thinks there should be a more complex story behind it, even though it's not really necessary. In some ways it reminded me of Moonlight, but the atmosphere and subject very different.

I recommend to anyone that is able to cry at a movie (male or female), but the Marvel superhero film lovers and children/adolescents probably won't engage with it. The rest of you.. go watch it.