Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
A controlling father’s attempts to ensure that his two children succeed in high school backfire after his son experiences a career-ending sports injury. Their familial bonds are eventually placed under severe strain by an unexpected tragedy.
Waves is a visually audacious, emotionally devastating drama that splits into two halves with startling structural boldness. Trey Edward Shults shoots with kinetic handheld energy, rotating aspect ratios, and immersive color grading that make the film feel genuinely singular — cinematography is well above average. The ensemble, led by Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Taylor Russell, delivers raw, lived-in performances that rank among the best of 2019. The bifurcated narrative — descending into tragedy then pivoting to a quieter story of grief and healing — is a distinctive formal choice that elevates Novelty to exceptional. The plot's emotional architecture, tracing a Black family's unraveling and reconstruction, is rich and specific. The second half, while beautiful, loses some momentum and resolves somewhat conventionally compared to the shattering first half, making the Ending the one category that falls slightly short of the film's peak ambitions.