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In Waves

Play trailer Poster for In Waves 2026 1h 31m Animation Drama Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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92% Tomatometer 12 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Ratings
In Los Angeles, AJ, a shy teenager, meets Kristen. She lives for surfing; he loves skateboarding and drawing. They fall madly in love, and a happy future seems within reach. But everything changes when Kristen faces a sudden illness. Together, they face adversity, driven by the strength of their love, their friends, and their newly shared passion for surfing and the ocean.

Critics Reviews

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Wendy Ide Screen International Jun 27
Gradually, as the story progresses, the surface of the sea becomes choppier and more erratic. It’s not the most subtle of visual metaphors, but it is pertinent. Go to Full Review Tomris Laffly Variety May 28
In Waves offers viewers a good old-fashioned cry, in the form of a traditional emotional rollercoaster that wants to win over our cynical hearts in hordes. Its grief is a wave that ebbs and flows, and it’s very much worth riding. Go to Full Review Carlos Aguilar The Playlist May 26
C
From a visual standpoint, the result is gorgeously realized, though far from innovative. Narratively, however, it remains by-the-numbers and simplistically sentimental. Go to Full Review Pete Hammond Deadline Hollywood Daily Jun 23
It becomes a memoir of loss, of grief, of dealing with life’s saddest moments in waves that take you over but never under. That is the poignant truth of In Waves, and that is also along with the gorgeous animation in director Phuong Mal Nguyen’s debut. Go to Full Review Luke Y. Thompson Mortal Cinema (Substack) Jun 17
If you’ve seen any significant amount of movies or TV in your lifetime, you’ve likely seen some version of the story that In Waves tells. You just haven’t seen it told this particular way before. Go to Full Review Tessa Smith Mama's Geeky Jun 17
Gorgeously animated and emotionally raw. It absolutely broke me, but this beautiful story of young love is worth every tear. Go to Full Review Read all reviews
In Waves

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Cast & Crew

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Phuong Mai Nguyen

Director

Stephanie Hsu

Kristen

Will Sharpe

AJ

Fanny Burdino

Screenwriter

Samuel Doux

Screenwriter

Priscilla Bertin

Producer
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In Waves

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Movie Info

Synopsis In Los Angeles, AJ, a shy teenager, meets Kristen. She lives for surfing; he loves skateboarding and drawing. They fall madly in love, and a happy future seems within reach. But everything changes when Kristen faces a sudden illness. Together, they face adversity, driven by the strength of their love, their friends, and their newly shared passion for surfing and the ocean.
Director
Phuong Mai Nguyen
Producer
Priscilla Bertin, Judith Nora, Nick Shumaker
Screenwriter
Fanny Burdino, Samuel Doux
Production Co
Silex Films, Charades Productions, Anonymous Content, France 3 Cinema
Genre
Animation, Drama, Romance
Original Language
French
Runtime
1h 31m