LIFF33 2019 #4

I went into this blind, but as soon as it was over, I instantly knew I witnessed something special.

This is gonna be hard to talk about since the movie doesn’t follow a conventional narrative. Although I believe that these type of movies will stay with you much longer, as the emotional connection you had will be remembered for years. In other words, I will try my best to keep myself collective through out.

‘Waves’ is an absolute gut punch of a movie. Incredibly unique with its film making and overall presentation.

From ‘It Comes At Night’ to ‘Waves’, Trey Edward Shults is a director to look out for. I still haven’t seen ‘Krisha’ yet. The way he crafts stories and the close examination of these characters feels so close to life. It hit me on a emotional level. I love how the aspect ratio changes whenever the mood changes in terms of tone. There’s some impressive and effective use of camera work through out, but the scenes that stood out for me was every time someone drives, the camera will spin clockwise at the front - which reminded me of ‘It Follows’ clockwork-like spin. There was also some free flowing camera work that also reminded me of Terrence Malick movies.

The performances and characters were all fantastic. Sterling K. Brown delivers a fantastic performance as a strict and yet flawed father who’s method of parenting is incredibly demanding. He has a son and a daughter, but in the first half we only see him hang around with his son and sculpt him to be the very best, while not realizing his putting the weight of the world on his sons shoulders. We barely see him with his daughter and when we do there’s a sense of regret on his face, as if the painful realization is killing him.

Newcomer Taylor Russell truly shines as the heart of the family, which you later find out was from her perspective this entire time. Alexa Demie, Kelin Harrison Jr., and Renée Elise Goldsberry are all terrific, but most effectively was the characters portrayal that was both dynamic and soul crushing. Lucas Hedges is perfectly cast as a sweet young man with one of the kindest smile you could’ve imagined; warm and welcoming.

There was a lot of music from Frank Ocean and Radiohead, but it's something that the characters would listen to rather than the directors own playlist. It actually sets the tone throughout. While at times it can get a bit too much music, but that didn’t ruin the overall experience. I don’t know why, but this entire movie reminded me of ‘Moonlight’.

The best complement I can give to this movie is how unpredictable it is, because I had no idea where it was going. Putting aside that I went into this knowing nothing, but that wasn’t the reason. It's a long movie, but I was invested the whole time. What took me by surprise is how the movie is structured and how every act unfolds a new chapter. The first act was a rush of energy in terms of pace, but the second act is almost a different movie and feels almost mystical. And every action the characters make will lead a massive impact to other peoples lives...

Because when pain and tension rises, expect it to come crashing down and shatter you into million pieces.

‘Waves’ is great, but really underrated.