The Wave
An insurance lawyer’s promotion celebration becomes a psychedelic odyssey through fractured realities, forcing him to chase a missing girl while confronting his own unstable identity.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- psychedelic
- surreal
- paranoid
- late night viewing
- mind bending movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film pleasantly offbeat but uneven, with Justin Long’s performance helping its addled science-fiction fantasy maintain momentum.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Frank is dosed with a hallucinogen and repeatedly moves between perceived reality, fantasy, and alternate dimensions.
The plot sends Frank through bizarre board meetings, nightclubs, shootouts, and alternate dimensions as his perception changes.
Frank's mission to find a missing girl, himself, and his wallet turns his altered-state quest into a crisis of identity.
Frank's promotion celebration and insurance-lawyer career are refracted through bizarre board meetings and an increasingly surreal quest.
Films like The Wave, and why
The Matrix
surreal science fiction, altered perception, and a protagonist navigating unstable realities
Enter the Void
psychedelic visual imagination, shifting realities, and existential self-discovery
Sorry to Bother You
offbeat speculative premise, darkly comic tone, and identity-driven reality distortion
A Scanner Darkly
drug-fueled disorientation, fractured perception, and a quest through heightened reality
Movie Details
- Director
- Gille Klabin
- Release Date
- 2019-09-21
- Runtime
- 87 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (181)
Cast
- Justin Long
- Tommy Flanagan
- Katia Winter
- Donald Faison
- Sheila Vand
- Sarah Minnich
- Bill Sage
- Monique Candelaria
- Ronnie Gene Blevins
- Blythe Howard
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Wave about?
- An insurance lawyer’s promotion celebration becomes a psychedelic odyssey through fractured realities, forcing him to chase a missing girl while confronting his own unstable identity.
- What is The Wave like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Wave as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Wave violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Wave as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Wave?
- Critics broadly found the film pleasantly offbeat but uneven, with Justin Long’s performance helping its addled science-fiction fantasy maintain momentum.
- Which films are like The Wave?
- Films with a similar feel include The Matrix, Enter the Void, Sorry to Bother You, and A Scanner Darkly.
- How long is The Wave?
- The Wave runs 87 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Wave?
- In United States, The Wave streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
