Waves

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Waves

R

2019

2h 15m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

84%

Tomatometer

257 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

250+ Verified Ratings

The epic emotional journey of a suburban African American family as they navigate love, forgiveness and coming together in the wake of a tragic loss.

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Critics Consensus

An up-close look at one family's emotional ups and downs, Waves captures complicated dynamics with tenderness and grace.

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David Stratton

The Australian

All the performances are excellent and perfectly pitched between reality and melodrama. And visually the film follows the same pattern: very creatively photographed by Drew Daniels, it also succeeds in being both "real" and heightened...

Jul 16, 2020

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Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

Shults is saying nothing new here. Nor does he exploit or trivialise the African-American experience. It's a powerful and plausible tale but it's told with such a bombardment of sound and image that he leaves you no opportunity to think for yourself.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 13, 2020

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Roxana Hadadi

Pajiba

The emotional through line of Waves and its exploration of forgiveness give shape to a movie that often feels like a mixtape.

Mar 25, 2020

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Julian Singleton

Cinapse

Waves is by far a showcase for Shults’ impressive talents as a writer-director, but it’s a film that lives and dies by its stellar ensemble cast.

Jul 12, 2025

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Calum Cooper

Source (Scotland)

Shults has crafted a gorgeously visual, and uniquely helmed movie that celebrates the best of romantic connection, and is unafraid to condemn the entitlement and disrespect that plagues so many relationships, whether platonic or romantic.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 14, 2024

Full Review

Brittany Patrice Witherspoon

Pop Culture Reviews

Showcasing the habitual strictness of black parenting on screen is lazy without foundation and substance, but that’s exactly what Shults does.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 14, 2024

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Matt

Spectacular movie. Fascinating coming of age movie. Great acting. Great story

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/20

Full Review

Jan O

Very entertaining. I liked it more than I thought I would.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/14/20

Full Review

SD

Glorious filmmaking.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/06/20

Full Review

MSR

Nothing short of the emotional journey promised. As audibly amazing as it is visually stunning. The rhythm of the film moves and moves you through the story so well. Once the films ends, you feel like you've been involved in the Williams's lives so intimately. The most personal movie for me out of 2019. A must-see for the decade.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/05/20

Full Review

Jayna

Felt like two separate movies.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/25/19

Full Review

Jessica B

Great movie - perfect amount of suspense/action/love- but come on with the ending - bummed

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/21/19

Full Review

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Trey Edward Shults

Director

Kelvin Harrison Jr.

Tyler

Taylor Russell

Emily

Sterling K. Brown

Ronald

Lucas Hedges

Luke

Alexa Demie

Alexis

Waves: Official Clip - Fighting His Parents

2:12

Waves: Official Clip - Swimming With Manatees

1:52

Waves: Official Clip - Drowning His Sorrows

2:45

Waves: Official Clip - Wrestling Injury

3:05

Waves: Official Clip - Angry Text Break-up

3:07

Waves: Official Clip - Abortion Argument

3:16

Waves: Official Clip - The Wrestling Match

1:47

Waves: Official Clip - I Could've Stopped It

2:44

Waves: Official Clip - The Arrest

2:16

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Synopsis

The epic emotional journey of a suburban African American family as they navigate love, forgiveness and coming together in the wake of a tragic loss.

Director: Trey Edward Shults
Producer: Jim Wilson, Kevin Turen, Trey Edward Shults
Screenwriter: Trey Edward Shults
Distributor: A24
Production Co: BRON Studios, JW Films
Rating: R (Drug and Alcohol Use|Brief Violence|Language Throughout|Some Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 15, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 15, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.7M
Runtime: 2h 15m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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