This is hard to explain, but I will power through it:

There’s something metaphysical about grief, especially when you’re personally grieving and supporting others who are also grieving. There’s no shortage in the diversity in how folk grieve. Think about how each of the Avengers expressed grief in “Endgame.” Some people use mechanisms to cope with grief, illicit positive distractions to carry them through, y’know. And it’s important to understand the diversity in this phenomena.

“Waves” tackled this really important task. The story is linear. There’s a clear beginning, middle and end, by which the through-line is grief, and/or guilt depending on the character featured as the focal point. And in its standard arc, two perspectives of a single, tragic event are explored.

I appreciate director/producer/writer Trey Edward Shults’ vision in focusing on a modern teenage couple’s tumultuous relationship, and its aftermath, and shifting the film’s focus to how the couple’s decisions affected periphery characters. A really “Carmen”-esque narrative, if you will. Basically, the film’s scope shifts from one “passion-pleasure-pain” narrative to a second “pain-passion-pleasure-back to pain” one in a way that was surprisingly effective. The screenplay’s originality is formidable.

I also applaud Shults’ subtly use of call backs between the first and second act. For instance, we learn in the first Act that the brother/athlete was stealing his dad’s prescription Oxycodone to alleviate pain from a severe shoulder injury he was hiding. Cut to Act II when the sister mentions their mother’s tragic overdose when she was a child, thus heightening the brother’s action as more than just drug abuse. Another callback occurred when the sister watches her boyfriend supporting his dying father, a similar act she had experienced when her brother was spiraling out of control before the tragedy. The latter example was specifically juxtaposed during the scene.

There is something avant-garde about the film’s jagged, imperfect camera movements and frequent close-ups that made me both uncomfortable and intrigued. The colorist needs all the monies. Like, ALL the monies, bruh. Shawty did a superb job!

The screenplay is dope, and original.

The soundtrack is a vibe, and my go-to summer festival season list. I will say, some of the transitions using music from the soundtrack, compared to use of the score, was a bit abrupt. But I think using Frank Ocean in the trailers and advertisements was a great pull in, coupled with the ambiguousness of the plot, was great way to draw in moviegoers.

Oh, and casting Lucas Hedges in indies bodes well for everyone- for the film for which he stars, and the audience who gets to see the chameleon in action. He always impressed me. Such a talent! His chemistry with Taylor Russell was incredible. Russell was actually a surprise and quite a delight. Her scenes with Sterling K. Brown, who plays her father, were special and heart wrenching.