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Waves

Play trailer Poster for Waves R Released Nov 15, 2019 2h 15m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer 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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Waves

Waves

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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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Critics Reviews

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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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 Read all reviews
Waves

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Cast & Crew

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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

Movie Clips

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Waves

Waves: Official Clip - Fighting His Parents Waves: Official Clip - Fighting His Parents 2:12 Waves: Official Clip - Drowning His Sorrows Waves: Official Clip - Drowning His Sorrows 2:45 Waves: Official Clip - Swimming With Manatees Waves: Official Clip - Swimming With Manatees 1:52 Waves: Official Clip - Angry Text Break-up Waves: Official Clip - Angry Text Break-up 3:07 Waves: Official Clip - Wrestling Injury Waves: Official Clip - Wrestling Injury 3:05 Waves: Official Clip - I Could've Stopped It Waves: Official Clip - I Could've Stopped It 2:44 Waves: Official Clip - Abortion Argument Waves: Official Clip - Abortion Argument 3:16 Waves: Official Clip - The Wrestling Match Waves: Official Clip - The Wrestling Match 1:47 Waves: Official Clip - The Arrest Waves: Official Clip - The Arrest 2:16 View more videos

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Waves

Waves (2019) Waves (2019) Waves (2019) Waves (2019) Waves (2019) View more photos

Movie Info

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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