The first half of the film anchors itself to Tyler Williams (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), a popular, competitive high school wrestler navigating immense pressure.
Shults films this section with a relentless, disorienting energy. The camera swirls, the screen stretches and squeezes, and the brilliant soundtrack (featuring Frank Ocean, Radiohead, and original compositions by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross) throbs with teenage anxiety. It’s a sensory overload that perfectly mirrors Tyler’s spiraling mental state. Harrison Jr. is a revelation, capturing the volatility of a young man who confuses love with pressure and mistakes aggression for strength. Sterling K. Brown is terrifying and tragic as the father whose own good intentions become a catalyst for disaster. You watch Tyler’s inevitable crash with the horror of knowing you can’t look away. waves 2019
Waves expertly tracks how a singular tragedy can isolate family members into their own private silences. Ronald and his wife, Catharine (Renée Elise Goldsberry), pull away from each other, highlighting how grief can destroy relationships if not actively shared. The first half of the film anchors itself
When Tyler suffers a severe, career-ending shoulder injury, his identity completely implodes. Unwilling to show weakness to his father, he hides the diagnosis and begins abusing prescription painkillers. The emotional tailspin accelerates when Alexis discovers she is pregnant, leading to a catastrophic breakdown of communication, intense domestic friction, and an escalating series of reckless decisions. This half culminates in an impulsive, drug-fueled act of violence that alters the family’s lives forever. Act II: The Path to Forgiveness with Emily It’s a sensory overload that perfectly mirrors Tyler’s