Overview
A family's journey through grief and love reveals the strength of human connection.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- intense
- dread-filled
- melancholic
- reflective evening
- emotional drama night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Trey Edward Shults's ambitious direction, emotionally immersive audiovisual style, and performances for treating one family's crisis with tenderness and grace.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The camera movement, vivid color, sound design, and score place viewers inside Tyler's and Emily's emotional consciousness.
Ronald's domineering expectations shape Tyler's wrestling ambitions and intensify the family's crisis.
The story moves from Tyler's crisis toward Emily's experience, broadening the family's account of loss and recovery.
South Florida is presented as a vibrant, emotionally charged landscape rather than neutral background.
Films like Waves, and why
The Place Beyond the Pines
emotionally intense family drama centered on grief, guilt, forgiveness, and fractured parent child relationships
The Spectacular Now
stylized contemporary drama about young adulthood, family pressure, regret, and emotional rupture
The Farewell
poignant sibling and family drama using shifting perspectives to explore mourning and reconciliation
Aftersun
formally expressive coming of age drama about parental control, trauma, and difficult emotional growth
Movie Details
- Director
- Trey Edward Shults
- Release Date
- 2019-11-15
- Runtime
- 136 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (843)
Cast
- Kelvin Harrison Jr.
- Taylor Russell
- Renée Elise Goldsberry
- Sterling K. Brown
- Lucas Hedges
- Alexa Demie
- Neal Huff
- Clifton Collins Jr.
- Krisha Fairchild
- Ruben E. A. Brown
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Waves about?
- A visually surging South Florida family drama follows two siblings through pressure, tragedy, and the arduous possibility of forgiveness.
- What is Waves like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Waves as brisk, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Waves violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Waves as moderate.
- What did critics think of Waves?
- Critics broadly praised Trey Edward Shults's ambitious direction, emotionally immersive audiovisual style, and performances for treating one family's crisis with tenderness and grace.
- Which films are like Waves?
- Films with a similar feel include The Place Beyond the Pines, The Spectacular Now, The Farewell, and Aftersun.
- How long is Waves?
- Waves runs 136 minutes.
- Where can I watch Waves?
- In United States, Waves is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Spectrum On Demand.
