Waves
Here is a film that kind of came out of nowhere, with not a lot of buzz. Trey Edward Schults returns with his follow up to It Comes at Night. There were aspects of It Comes at Night that were really admirable though I felt it didn’t really reach its heights. However, with Waves comes an absolutely alluring sensational experience. Its absolutely raw and the way in which it is presented adds to a completely engorging experience at the theaters.
The film is broken up into two segments. The first is about a teenager with so much potential. He is a star on the wrestling team, has a great girlfriend, and a family who support him (albeit his father pressuring him to succeed). Slowly, things start unraveling and events transpire that drastically change things for him. The second part of the film is seen from his sisters point of view and her struggles with coming to grips with events in her own life and the weight put on by family.
From the opening minute of the film with the bright sunny Florida water and the camera circling around inside the car, you can tell you are settled in for a visual joy. The film is shot beautifully for the most part and it is vibrant and triggers your senses. The aspect ratio changes throughout which I found a little odd but I’m sure its too enhance parts of the story. The score is fantastic and at times foreboding. The entire first half of the film is jaw dropping good. Its insane but a tremendous watch.
The film slows down in its second part but its still great and appeals to the emotional element of the first half of the film. The film feels longer in its second half despite flying by in the first. Overall, this is a very impressive effort from Schults and puts him on my radar because it shows that he is extremely capable of telling and showing a story creatively. I hope this picks up more buzz as weeks go by because it was a very interesting watch.
8/10
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