Waves is a 2019 American drama film written, co-produced and directed by Trey Edward Shults. Along with Shults, it was produced by Kevin Turen and Jessica Row. It stars Kelvin Harrison Jr., Lucas Hedges, Taylor Russell, Alexa Demie, Renée Elise Goldsberry, and Sterling K. Brown. It traces the emotional journey of a suburban American family as they navigate love, forgiveness and coming together in the wake of a tragic loss.

Principal photography began on July 9, 2018 in Broward County, Florida and wrapped up on August 24, 2018. The cast was announced in July, with Demie joining in August.

It had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2019, and was released in the United States on November 15, 2019, by A24. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances (particularly that of Harrison, Russell, and Brown), cinematography, and Shults direction. It grossed over $2 million worldwide.

Plot

Tyler Williams is a popular high school senior on the wrestling team. He parties with his friends and spends time with his girlfriend, Alexis Lopez, but is routinely pushed to be better by his domineering father, Ronald. Unbeknownst to anyone, Tyler suffers from a Level 5 SLAP tear, which he keeps secret from his family and team by stealing his father s painkillers. Against the recommendation of his doctor, Tyler continues to wrestle competitively until he is thrown onto his shoulder during a match, causing irreparable damage and ending his season, as well as his career. Tyler s life is further complicated when he receives a text from Alexis, who reveals that her period is late, indicating that she is pregnant. He takes her to get an abortion, but she has a last-minute change of heart. On the way home, the couple has a fight and Alexis walks home alone.

Distraught, Tyler begins drinking heavily and abusing drugs. Eventually, Tyler texts Alexis, who is willing to mend their relationship. She tells Tyler that she has decided to keep the child with support from her family, but when Tyler demands to speak to her in person, Alexis breaks up with him and blocks his number, sending him into a rage as he destroys his bedroom. The night of the school s Maverick Ball , a grounded Tyler goes on Instagram and sees a picture showing Alexis posing with another boy. He gets drunk and high and attempts to leave the house, but is confronted by his stepmom, Catherine. His father attempts to defuse the situation, but Tyler pushes him to the floor and leaves.

He drives to a house party, where he sees Alexis go upstairs with the boy from the photo. Tyler s younger sister Emily notices his arrival from a distance but says nothing, and Tyler drinks heavily before following Alexis to the garage. An exchange of words leads to an argument, which turns physical when Alexis slaps Tyler and he hits her back, causing her head to hit the floor. She begins to bleed out, and, horrified, Tyler flees. Ronald arrives shortly after, finding Emily, who tearfully confirms Ronald s suspicions. Tyler returns home before attempting to run away on foot. However, he is quickly caught and arrested by the police. Paramedics attempt to resuscitate Alexis, but she dies from her injuries.

Despite a guilty plea, Tyler is sentenced to life in prison for second-degree murder, with the eligibility of parole after thirty years. After school one day, Emily is approached by Luke, an awkward but kindhearted classmate who was also one of Tyler s wrestling teammates. He asks her out to lunch and the two begin dating. Emily begins to open up to Luke, participating in activities outside of school with him, such as swimming with manatees. During this time, Emily also overhears Ronald and Catherine arguing about Tyler, with Ronald blaming Catherine for her lack of presence in his and Emily s lives, and Catherine accusing Ronald of putting too much pressure on Tyler. During a conversation they have while fishing, Emily reveals to Ronald that she feels guilty, believing that she could ve stopped Tyler and that she hates him for what he did. Ronald advises her not to hold a grudge against her brother and that no matter what, he loves them both. The two reconcile.

Meanwhile, Emily and Luke become closer, eventually having sex for the first time. Emily learns from Luke that his estranged, abusive father is dying of cancer, and she urges him to make amends with him with the time he has left, as Emily and Tyler s mother died from a drug overdose when they were young. The two drive to Columbia, Missouri, where Luke s father is residing, and upon seeing his son, Luke s father s spirits are lifted, with Luke forgiving his father. He survives longer than expected, but passes away one night, which causes Luke to heavily sob. Emily consoles Luke on the drive home to Miami while Catherine visits Tyler in prison, Alexis parents grieve, and Ronald reconnects with Catherine. Sometime after arriving home, Emily rides her bike down an empty street and lifts her arms from the handlebars.

Cast

• Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Tyler Williams, a high school senior and competitive wrestler
• Taylor Russell as Emily Williams, Tyler s younger sister
• Sterling K. Brown as Ronald Williams, Tyler and Emily s father
• Lucas Hedges as Luke, one of Tyler s teammates and Emily s love interest
• Renée Elise Goldsberry as Catherine Williams, Tyler and Emily s stepmother
• Alexa Demie as Alexis Lopez, Tyler s girlfriend
• Clifton Collins Jr. as Bobby Lopez, Alexis father
• Vivi Pineda as Elena Lopez, Alexis mother
• Neal Huff as Bill
• Bill Wise as Coach Wise
• David Garelik as Ryan, a friend of Tyler
• Ruben E.A. Brown as Wally
• Harmony Korine as Mr. Stanley
• Krisha Fairchild as English Teacher

Production

Kevin Turen and James Wilson served as producers on the film, with A24 producing and distributing and with Trey Edward Shults directing, producing, from a screenplay he wrote.

According to Adam White of The Independent, initially the family of the film did not have a racial background specified in the plans.

Demie suggested a scene where Alexis and Emily meet in a restroom, with the scene implying a change of focus from one woman to the other. Lauren McCarthy of Nylon stated that the film had a collaborative nature style.

Demie stated that the filming of the initial driving scene made it seem like a film crew was not present. Demie also stated that Alexis, compared to Maddy Perez in Euphoria, another character Demie portrayed, is much stronger, she’s always fighting back and setting boundaries .

Casting

In July 2018, it was announced Lucas Hedges, Sterling K. Brown, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Taylor Russell joined the cast of the film. In August 2018, Alexa Demie joined the cast.

Filming

Principal photography began on July 9, 2018 in Broward County, Florida. Key Biscayne, FLorida Some filming was done in Hollywood, Florida.

Music

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross composed the film s score, replacing Shults frequent collaboration with Brian McOmber. In an interview, Shults stated, I got one of the coolest e-mails of my life one day that Trent Reznor was a fan and wanted to meet. I got on a plane as soon as I could and went to L.A. and met him and Atticus for lunch. Instantly, the energy was great. They had seen and dug my other movies and just wanted to work together. The score was released on November 26, 2019, on Nine Inch Nails online store.

The film s soundtrack features a compilation of contemporary rap, R&B, alternative, and experimental pop music from artists including Animal Collective, Tame Impala, Frank Ocean, A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, The Shoes, H.E.R., Tyler, the Creator, Fuck Buttons, Amy Winehouse, Kanye West, THEY., Kid Cudi, Colin Stetson, SZA, Chance the Rapper, Radiohead, and Alabama Shakes. The full list of songs used in the film was made available on A24 s website, in an article where Shults annotates the usage of the songs.

Shults wrote specific music cues into the screenplay such as Lamar s Backseat Freestyle and embedded files into the scripts sent to actors so they could listen to the intended songs for each scene. He shot the film having not yet acquired the rights to certain songs and agreed to cut scenes if negotiations failed than reshoot. A letter and rough cut of the film was sent to Ocean, who cleared his songs for use after watching. Negotiations with West stretched over months before I Am a God was approved with a stipulation that a clean version would need to be featured due to West moving away from secular music.

Release

Waves premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2019. It screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2019. It was released on November 15, 2019 in New York City and Los Angeles, expanding to major U.S. cities the week after, with a wide release set for December 6. In September, Focus Features acquired the international distribution rights to the film, excluding Canada, China and Japan.

Reception

Box office

Waves grossed a total of $1.7 million in the United States. In its limited opening weekend, the film made $134,333 from four theaters, a per-venue average of $33,583. Expanding to 21 theaters the following weekend the film made $168,760, and then $140,995 from 44 theaters in its third.

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 84% based on 254 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The site s consensus reads: An up-close look at one family s emotional ups and downs, Waves captures complicated dynamics with tenderness and grace. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 80 out of 100, based on 45 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews .

Paul Whitington of the Irish Independent gave the film five stars.

IndieWire s Eric Kohn gave the film a B+, stating It’s a definitive statement on the present moment, evoking the sheer horror of every uncertain exchange, and the courage involved in moving ahead regardless of what it means for the future . Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times called it deeply rooted in its characters’ consciousness, alert to the feelings of dread, shame, rage and despair that threaten to bring these fast-moving lives to a standstill . It was chosen by the National Board of Review as one of the ten best films of the year.

Sterling K. Brown stated, I’ve never seen a middle to upper middle class black family dealing with the problems that has in this movie .

Prince Shakur of Teen Vogue stated that Tyler s story shows the effects of toxic masculinity . Harrison stated that due to the previously inferior position in society occupied by African-Americans, there is often a pressure placed on young Black boys to excel .

Accolades

Award	Date of Ceremony	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref(s)
African-American Film Critics Association	December 11, 2019	Breakout Performance	Kelvin Harrison Jr.	Won
		Top 10 Films	Waves	Won
		We See You Award	Taylor Russell	Won
Austin Film Critics Association	February 7, 2020	Best Score	Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross	Nominated
Black Reel Awards	February 6, 2020	Outstanding Motion Picture	Trey Edward Shults, Kevin Turen, and James Wilson	Nominated
		Outstanding Actor	Kelvin Harrison Jr.	Nominated
		Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male		Won
		Outstanding Supporting Actor	Sterling K. Brown	Nominated
		Outstanding Supporting Actress	Taylor Russell	Nominated
		Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female		Nominated
		Outstanding Ensemble	Avy Kaufman	Nominated
		Outstanding Original Score	Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross	Nominated
		Outstanding Cinematography	Drew Daniels	Nominated
Casting Society of America	January 31, 2020	Studio or Independent – Drama	Avy Kaufman and Mark Mullen	Nominated
Chicago Film Critics Association	July 28, 2020	Most Promising Performer	Taylor Russell	Nominated
Film Independent Spirit Awards	February 8, 2020	Best Supporting Female	Taylor Russell	Nominated
Georgia Film Critics Association	January 10, 2020	Breakthrough Award	Kelvin Harrison Jr.	Nominated
			Taylor Russell	Nominated
Gotham Awards	December 2, 2019	Best Feature	Waves	Nominated
		Breakthrough Actor	Taylor Russell	Won
		Audience Award	Waves	Nominated
Hamptons International Film Festival	October 10, 2019	Zicherman Screenplay Award	Trey Edward Shults & A24	Won
Hollywood Critics Association	November 25, 2019	Best Picture	Waves	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actor	Sterling K. Brown	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress	Taylor Russell	Nominated
		Best Cast	Cast of Waves	Nominated
		Breakthrough Performance	Kelvin Harrison Jr.	Won
			Taylor Russell	Nominated
		Best Cinematography	Drew Daniels	Nominated
		Best Score	Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross	Nominated
		Best Independent Film	Waves	Won
		Star on the Rise Award	Taylor Russell	Won
Hollywood Critics Association	January 11, 2020	Best Picture	Waves	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actor	Sterling K. Brown	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress	Taylor Russell	Nominated
		Breakthrough Actor	Kelvin Harrison Jr.	Won
			Taylor Russell	Nominated
		Best Cast	Cast of Waves	Nominated
		Best Independent Film	Waves	Won
		Best Cinematography	Drew Daniels	Nominated
		Best Score	Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross	Nominated
NAACP Image Awards	February 22, 2020	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture	Sterling K. Brown	Nominated
Motion Picture Sound Editors	January 19, 2020	Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Music Score for Feature Film	Sally Boldt, Trey Edward Shults, Johnnie Burn	Won
National Board of Review	January 3, 2020	Top Films	Waves	Won
New York Film Critics Online	December 7, 2019	Breakthrough Performance	Kelvin Harrison Jr.	Won
San Diego Film Critics Society	December 9, 2019	Breakthrough Artist	Kelvin Harrison Jr.	Nominated
Santa Barbara International Film Festival	January, 2020	Virtuoso Award	Taylor Russell	Won
Seattle Film Critics Society	December 16, 2019	Best Supporting Actress	Taylor Russell	Nominated
St. Louis Film Critics Association	December 15, 2019	Best Film	Waves	Runner-up
		Best Soundtrack	Waves	2nd place
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association	December 8, 2019	Best Cinematography	Drew Daniels	Nominated

Year	2019
ReleaseDate	2019-11-15
RuntimeMins	135
RuntimeStr	2h 15min
Plot	Traces the journey of a suburban family – led by a well-intentioned but domineering father – as they navigate love, forgiveness, and coming together in the aftermath of a loss.
Awards	Awards, 14 wins & 41 nominations
Directors	Trey Edward Shults
Writers	Trey Edward Shults
Stars	Kelvin Harrison Jr., Lucas Hedges, Taylor Russell
Produced by	Justin R. Chan,Jacob Jaffke,Harrison Kreiss,Chad Rothman,Trey Edward Shults,Kevin Turen,James Wilson,Inman Young
Music by	Trent Reznor,Atticus Ross
Cinematography by	Drew Daniels
Film Editing by	Isaac Hagy,Trey Edward Shults
Casting By	Avy Kaufman
Production Design by	Elliott Hostetter
Art Direction by	Margaux Rust
Set Decoration by	Adam Willis
Costume Design by	Rachel Dainer-Best
Makeup Department	Laurie Cocheio,Dolly Djuric,Susie Mendez Pfister,Carol Raskin,Carol Ann Rebecca,Gianna Sparacino,Lisa Jouet Mosenson
Production Management	Andrew Hauser,Mark Sean Haynes,Elayne Keratsis,Morgan Newell,Perri Silver
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director	Eric LaFranchi,Ryan McInerney,Alicia Triana Tabeau
Art Department	Chris Alicea,Jilanna Allison,Chuck Avery,Ricardo Bazauri,Brooke Bortell,Regina Crowley,Mark Dane,Charles S. Deaux,Michael J. Flynn,Richard E. Kruder,John Francis Kupfer,Daniel Mendible,Greyson Miller,Chris Molina,John Navarro Jr.,Maria Alejandra Ortiz,Kurt Thoresen,Alexandra Tibbe,Dustin Read,Dorothy Street
Sound Department	Tristan Baylis,Max Behrens,Johnnie Burn,Simon Carroll,Ed Downham,Brendan Feeney,Curtis Henderson,Dimitri Kouri,Madeleine Lewis,Jack Patterson,Leo Rozenberg,Jack Sedgwick,Tzvi Sherman,Cary Simon,Ned Sisson,Ashley Smith,Matt Snedecor,Kyle Weber,Sam Weiner,Nathan Hasz,Laura Post,Cary Simon
Special Effects by	Craig Barnett,Kurt Harris
Visual Effects by	Fangge Chen,Constance Conrad,Silas Fischer,Craig Green,Lucien Harriot,Miranda Jacoby,Mark Palkoski,Kathereena Singh
Stunts	Sli Lewis,Artie Malesci,Breanna Selts,James C. Wallace,Jeffrey Hersh
Camera and Electrical Department	Mike Chavez,Dan Demirgian,Troy Dickerson,Sean Gilbert,Sean P. Gilbert,Faust Higgins,Kevin Higgins,Chris Hill,Mark Idziak,Joshua Johnson,Malcolm Jolley,Fred Kimble,Rick Lacoste,Monica Lek,Sean Lunski,Paco Moises,Kai Morbey,Jorge Parra,Stephen Petula,Osvaldo Silvera Jr.,Will Skidmore,Carla Sosa,Caleb Wild,Jonathan Bowens,Jeff Daly,Jennifer Galipault,Manuel Gonzalez,Ian Hernand,Carlos Perozo,Robert D. Starling,Harold Trenhs,Billy Wells
Casting Department	Jennifer Conrader,Dann Fink,Chloe Gordon,Mark Mullen,Harrison Nesbit,Patti Wiley,Beth Marshall
Costume and Wardrobe Department	Ellen Cerrito,Arielle Cooper-Lethem,Stefanie Del Papa,Mila Kastari,Lina Palacios,Michelle Ryan,Juliet Primo
Editorial Department	Joe Beirne,Isabel Cafaro-Anderson,Laureen Clarke,Scott Ettin,Scott Frace,David Franzo,Matthew Hannam,Clark Henderson,Eric Horwitz,Keith Jenson,Lucian Johnston,Stacey Lee,Carlos Monfort,Caspar Newbolt,Elias Nousiopoulos,Matt O’Shaughnessy,Pete Olshansky,Justin Rosen,Megan Rumph,Chad Rupnarine,Damien van der Cruyssen,Erich Waldorf,Brian Woos,Madeline Little,Brett Meyers
Location Management	Guy Balson,Devin Kina,Matthew Rubino,Sherrill Smith,Jamil J. Gonzalez,Devin Kina,Oscar Vaca
Music Department	Sally Boldt,Johnnie Burn,Nick Chuba,Meghan Currier,Kyle Hoffmann,Mat Mitchell,Randall Poster,Joe Rudge,Trey Edward Shults,Tommy Simpson,Ilyse Wolfe Tretter,Kenneth Bernard,David James Rosen
Script and Continuity Department	T.J. Larson
Transportation Department	Javier Armesto,David Brown,Christopher Cockroft,Ken Collins,Larry Crenshaw,Richard Draper,Joe T. Griffin,J.C. Ibrahim,Pirty Lee Jackson,Marty Koe,Dean Pazin,Danny Taylor,Melvin A. Turner,Michael Ware,Jimmy Wray
Additional Crew	David Albahae,Lisa Aurora,Greg Bernstein,Jeannine Campi,Harrison Carr,Carlos Chica,Ariana Chantelle Cordero,Frederick Criswell,Linda Davio,Cristina Encarnacion,Alton English,Crystal Esparza,Dann Fink,Carlos Flores,Luane Gauer,Patty Harrigan,Marc Katz,Ian M. Kemp,Tilu Khalayi,Marcella Lentz-Pope,Sophie Martinez,Vladimir Matyushenko,Joseph McKelheer,Mack McKelvey,Israel Najera,Reynaldo Piniella,Marcel Pinkowski,Roger Poirier,John Portnoy,Alex Puma,Bryan Reynoso,Fabiola Rodriguez,Stephanie Salgado,Breanna Selts,Dewitt Stern,Nick Thurlow,Oscar Vaca,Joray Wakhungi,Caleb Wild,Todd Williams,Sam Baloff,Xavier Cortes,David De Souza,Robert J. Fox,Kevin Moody,Emerita Ocana,Valdez Williams
Thanks	Mahershala Ali,Rebecca Boswell,Arielle Cooper-Lethem,Lauren Elmer,Ryan Feldman,Grant Illes,Craig Kestel,Martin Leitner,Acie Mitchell,Ashley Myers,Samantha Racanelli,Jess Rosenthal,Nick Sala,Bill Shultz,Beth Tomblin,Alan Wertheimer,David Whittaker,Donnette Williams,James Williams,Laura Zempel
Genres	Drama, Romance, Sport
Companies	BRON Studios, JW Films
Countries	USA, Canada
Languages	English
ContentRating	R
ImDbRating	7.5
ImDbRatingVotes	25505
MetacriticRating	80
Keywords	african american,teenage pregnancy,manatee,black american,family relationships