Waves: Tide in or out?

When I first thought of writing a blog, I had a bunch of ideas of films to write about and a schedule of when to write them. I had not seen Waves at this point. I first noticed it on Netflix and was intrigued by the banner trailer. I liked the sound of the premise and so added it to my watchlist. It was on a Sunday when I had no plans and needed some downtime that I decided to watch it. After watching this film, I felt the need to scrap my schedule and bump this up to a priority article. This film left such an impression on me that I needed to get my thoughts on it out ASAP. This is not a film that you can watch and say, “yeah that was alright”, it is bound to leave a strong impression one way or another. I think the reasons why, are why I ended up really enjoying this film. It is undeniably flawed, but for me, these flaws contribute to the mood and intention of the film. And as a heads up, spoiler alert, it is kind of impossible to discuss this film how I would like without spoiling it. So, if you have not already seen it, I highly recommend going and watching it.

I think the first thing that really strikes me about the film, is the mood contributed to by the visuals and the score. The film, looks stunning, the moody colours, the long shots zoomed in on Tyler’s face at different points of his downward spiral, the shots in the cars. All of these are incredible and so enjoyable to watch. The opening shot of Tyler and Alexis in the car, cruising down the highway, Animal Collective blasting really sets the tone for this film. It is such an effective establishing shot. Immediately you get a sense for the carefree, teenage euphoric, on top of the world feeling that Tyler has at the start of the film. The following montage shows us Tyler’s life at that point, the wrestling, the partying, Alexis. Then that is contrasted by the pressure he feels at home from his overbearing father, living through Tyler, training with him. It plants the seeds for his inevitable downfall.

The biggest thing with this film is the structure, that is the real selling point. I really enjoy the look into the family dynamic through two different sets of eyes. The contrast in tone, character, pace, everything is so different, it is such an effective way of dealing with this story and the major event that happens in the middle. The two halves do a fantastic job of conveying the differing personalities and situations the two siblings find themselves in. The first half is aggressive, chaotic, abrasive and disjointed, somewhat like Tyler and his situation. The second half is way more calm, reflective, and emotional, a lot like Emily and the turmoil she is in. A lot of criticism I have seen online is due to people really liking one half and hating the other. Admittedly, there is a huge tonal shift, it is very abrupt the switch and Tyler’s story is dealt with and not discussed from his perspective after his sentencing. However, to me, this is when the story really unfolds. The purpose of this film in my interpretation is looking at the impact of Tyler’s actions on his family, mainly his sister. Their lives are torn apart and that is a more interesting story than Tyler’s spiral.

Everything in Tyler’s half of the film is so abrasive and aggressive, the plot lurches from one disaster to another at breakneck speed often without any real connection. No sooner is Alexis pregnant, Tyler and her are broken up and their next interaction is the murder. I think this style of filmmaking is abrasive and immature and can be off putting to some. I was wary to watch this a second time due to the novelty of the technique waring off. However, I was pleasantly surprised that I was still so engaged in the ride at the second time of watching. Whilst these techniques could be detrimental to the viewing experience, I do believe they are in the film for a purpose. The aggressive jolts in progressing the film match the mood of Tyler and the speed really helps convey how quickly his life has fallen apart and how immature he is at dealing with his issues. These points are emphasised in the slower, more intimate scenes in the first half. Him crying on the floor with his sister is really the only time they interact but it shows the care she has for her brother and why she feels so angry and torn in the second half by what he did. The talk with his dad where he tries to open up but is shut down by his overly pushy Father really hammers home the reflection by their dad in the second part. Viewing this as two separate parts is inevitable and partly due to the technique and such differing tones. However, reflecting on the overarching story really helps connect a disjointed film and for me, stops this from negatively impacting my enjoyment of the movie too much.

That is not to say that the disjointed structure is absolved of all flaws. The breakneck speed of the film leaves no room for a lot of development that I feel could have elevated the impact of the story. Little attention is paid to the character of Alexis. She is there as a plot device and there really is limited development on her as a person and her importance to Tyler. Admittedly she is not the point of the film but as such an integral part of the story I would have liked to have had a bit more of an understanding of their dynamic. It leaves some scenes such as the breakup over text coming across as a little bit surface level and really lacking impact. The fact that it is scored by the King of teenage Angst ‘Tyler, The Creator’ and IFHY of all songs is either a genius move to show how immature Tyler is, or incredibly corny and on the nose. It leans towards the first but again, is another aspect of this film that all depends on your level of investment and how willing to go with the director’s choices you are. But her death did not make me feel any emotion other than shock because she really is not in the film much. This could be intentional again, Tyler views her as a Goddess, only interested in her for her beauty and does not know the person she is underneath, as she highlights in their big argument at the party. This point does sacrifice her as a character though which is somewhat of a shame.

I also think more development between the family could have elevated the emotional impact of the second half. However, this is a minor part as the real emphasis is on the father vs son dynamic and how the lack of care Tyler felt pushed him into lashing out. The mother does get left out and I would have liked to see the dynamic of her not being the biological mum but effectively raising the children and how that impacted on the grief. For me that is an interesting dynamic that I have not come across. However, I think these are minor hindrances and more personal preferences that interest me that do not take away from the film really.

The second half is such a tender film. Taylor Russel gives such a great performance and seeing her character’s growth from the quiet and withdrawn person immediately after the death of her friend to her enjoying her life and dealing with grief is such a great story. Addressing her complicated feelings towards her brother and his actions through her boyfriend’s troubled relationship with his dad is such a clever plot tool and effectively shows her growth through the process of grief. It is incredibly rewarding to see her overcome the damage her brother’s actions thrust onto her and her family and really makes this film great.

Similarly, Kelvin Harrison Jr does a great job of portraying the cocky arrogance of Tyler but coupling that with enough depth to sell his vulnerability and how easily his ‘king of the world’ persona slips. On top of this the performances from the parents and the charming Lucas Hedges really elevate this film.

Ultimately, this is a flawed film, but it’s the flaws that give it a certain raw feel. I do not think that these flaws outside if the context of this film would work, but for this film, they really help sell the appeal of the film and what is to like about it; for me at least. Give it a try, check it out, you may love it, you may hate it, but it will be well worth the journey finding out.