Waves

Play trailer

Waves

R

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

David Stratton

The Australian

07/16/2020

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...

Go to Full Review

Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

07/13/2020

3.5/5

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.

Go to Full Review

Roxana Hadadi

Pajiba

03/25/2020

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

Go to Full Review

Julian Singleton

Cinapse

Jul 12

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.

Go to Full Review

Calum Cooper

Source (Scotland)

07/14/2024

4/5

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.

Go to Full Review

Brittany Patrice Witherspoon

Pop Culture Reviews

07/14/2024

2/5

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

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

01/19/2020

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

See more

01/14/2020

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

See more

01/06/2020

Glorious filmmaking.

See more

01/05/2020

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.

See more

12/25/2019

Felt like two separate movies.

See more

12/21/2019

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

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

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

View more videos

Pieces of a Woman

76%

84%

Pieces of a Woman

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Pieces of a Woman

The Last Black Man in San Francisco

93%

84%

The Last Black Man in San Francisco

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Last Black Man in San Francisco

Meadowland

92%

65%

Meadowland

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Meadowland

Mickey and the Bear

100%

76%

Mickey and the Bear

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Mickey and the Bear

The Roads Not Taken

44%

26%

The Roads Not Taken

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Roads Not Taken

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Awards Leaderboard: Best Movies of 2024

Know Your Critic: Li Lai, Mediaversity Reviews Founder and Editor

The Indie Fresh List: A Killer Dress, A Missing Teen, and A Menacing Imaginary Friend

View more photos

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)

Most Popular at Home Now