FILMS THAT GOT AWAY #11 – WAVES (2019)
Directed by: Trey Edward Shults
Produced by: Kevin Turen, Jessica Row, Trey Edward Shults
Written by: Trey Edward Shults
Cast: Kelvin Harrison Jr., Lucas Hedges, Taylor Russell, Alexa Demie, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Sterling K. Brown, Alexa Demie, Clifton Collins Jr., Vivi Pineda, etc.
Music by: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
Cinematography: Drew Daniels
*** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS ***
“First your parents, they give you your life, but then they try to give you their life.”
― Chuck Palahniuk
Being a parent is an extremely difficult job and mostly impossible to get right. It is a rewarding and joyous experience, but can also be a frustrating one. Raising another human being in this world is a fluid and ever-shifting set of tasks. Once you have got past a certain age and seemingly resolved the issues of that time, their next period of growth provides a whole different set of puzzles. Whatever books you read or advice you take, or help you get, you will never be prepared enough to meet the challenge of being a parent. Even those who have had more than one child can attest that what occurred with the first child will not be the same for the next or the next after that. Every individual being is different and will have a varied set of intricacies.
In the majestic family drama, Waves (2019), for example, Ronald (Sterling K. Brown) and Catherine Williams (Renee Elise Goldsbery), are middle-class parents with successful jobs who provide a fabulous Florida home and upbringing to their teenage children. Their son, Tyler (Kelvin Harrison Jnr.), is smart, athletic and a popular student, while their younger daughter, Emily, is quieter but equally bright. Ronald pushes Tyler to excel in every way, in study, work and on the wrestling team. He’s doing it with best intentions, but it creates incredible pressure for the lad. So much so, when Tyler suffers a serious injury and a problematic romantic situation he mentally and emotionally breaks.
This is a tale of two children and their parents attempts to raise, guide and control them. Not control in a negative fashion, but out of love and desire to see they are on the correct path in life. But what the narrative illustrates is that even the most loving and comfortable families can have tragedy bestowed upon them via a mixture of spontaneously poor life choices, youthful emotional imbalance and the fickle finger of fate. Thus, some could argue that with subjects such as unwanted pregnancy, pushy parents and rebellious teenagers, the film is over-familiar and melodramatic in places. However, the acting, direction and cinematography render the film wholly cinematic. Special mention to the extremely talented cinematographer Drew Daniels, who also lit HBO’s stylish mini-series Euphoria (2019). The production’s choice of colour, lighting, lens differentiation and aspect ratio switches are another reason this fabulous film impacted me so much.
No disrespect intended to the films nominated for Best Picture at the last Academy Awards, but how Waves (2019) did not get on that list is beyond me. Maybe it didn’t qualify due to some technicality, but it was definitely one of the best films of last year. It’s a shame I missed it as Trey Edward Schults proves he is a formidable young director. Sterling K. Hayden is impressive as the father who thinks he knows best, but is ultimately as emotionally lost as his son. Taylor Russell as Emily is an absolute shining star in the role and Kelvin Harrison Jnr. is, following his mesmerising performance in Luce (2019), destined for great things. Lastly, I’m not sure how Waves (2019) got away from me on release, but I’m glad I finally caught up with this searing and complex drama.
The Cinema Fix presents 