“Waves” traces the journey of a suburban family – led by a well-intentioned but domineering father – as they navigate love, forgiveness, and coming together in the aftermath of a loss.
Tyler Williams (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) loves wrestling and hanging out with his girlfriend Alexis (Alexa Demie). The high school senior who lives in Florida with his father Ronald (Sterling K. Brown), his sister Emily (Taylor Russell) and stepmother Catharine (Renee’ Elise Goldsberry), is a typical teenager who never seems to be able to escape the wrath of his overbearing father who makes him feel that nothing he does is ever good enough. While no one ever addresses the issue directly, the death of the matriarch of the family appears to be the elephant in the room which is causing a major rift in the family.
Tyler’s love of wrestling and the encouragement from his girlfriend seem to be the only thing that is holding him together emotionally. When he dislocates his shoulder, his father becomes the unofficial coordinator of his remission and takes him through daily routines that will strengthen him and get him back where he needs to be. When Tyler continues to experience severe pain, he consults with the doctor privately and is advised to give up the sport before it causes irreversible damage. Not only does Tyler refuse to take the doctor’s advice, but he also refuses to let his father know the current status, for fear of letting him down. As the pain increases, Tyler becomes addicted to the painkillers and starts to pilfer additional pills from his dad’s medicine cabinet. Soon, Tyler becomes out of control with the addiction and with the fact that he may never wrestle again. At the same time, his father, unaware of his son’s predicament, becomes increasingly obnoxious in trying to get results from Tyler’s performance. Tyler’s life becomes increasingly difficult when he finds out that Alexis is pregnant and they secretly agree to an abortion. When Alexis fails to go through with the abortion, they break up and she starts to date someone else. In a fit of rage, Tyler stalks Alexis and her date at a dance where his sister Emily is in attendance and it ends with Alexis being murdered by Tyler and his life is forever changed.
In the aftermath of the accident, the entire family dynamic has changed due to a loss once again. Emily, who has always stood in the background, finally begins to share her emotions with her family while at the same time withdrawing from her peers at school because she has been socially outcast due to her brother’s behavior. Luke (Lucas Hedges), another social misfit, seeks out Emily for a friendship and it turns into a relationship whereas Emily finally begins to blossom and come from under the spell of her dysfunctional family. As the entire family begins to realign with what is important as a family, they each enter into a period of forgiveness and reconstruction. In the end, they realize that Tyler needs them and they all reach out to one another for support.
Director Trey Edward Shults does an excellent job of delving into a serious life matter and then allowing each character to become self-aware of their own mortality in every step of how they coped with loss and with one another. He deals creatively with teen issues of peer-pressure, abandonment and changing family dynamics as well as adult issues of parenting and navigation through life’s ups and downs. While “Waves” is a ripple effect of misguided emotions, it also poses as a streamlined path of continuity in order to get back on course!
Available on Blu-ray (plus Digital) and DVD February 4th
