“Waves” leaves much to be desired in plot, structure

Last week, I saw the 2019 movie “Waves” on my YouTube recommended page where I recognized the cover photo of actress Alexa Demie. Upon clicking on the trailer, I was immediately greeted with the song “Godspeed” by Frank Ocean—a surefire way to draw me in. From there, I watched as a montage of beautiful yet haunting clips covered the screen, and I knew it was something I had to watch.

The premise certainly seemed promising. Categorized as a drama, the synopsis describes it as “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.” Already intrigued by the trailer, I sat down to watch it with my expectations set high.

As the film opened, however, it didn’t take me long to realize that it was directed in a style that was going to take some getting used to. Scenes are filmed in quick cuts that feel too fast-paced. They seem half-finished, connected by a black screen between scenes. It is disorienting. By the time I had processed one scene, I swear it was four scenes later.

However, its one directorial standout is the use of color. Relying on vivid color scales, “Waves” does, at the very least, succeed in being artistic. A single miniscule scene in which main character Ty runs through the bleeding colors of a sunset was enough to convince me that perhaps one of the only good things I should credit is the carefully arranged aesthetic.

Unfortunately, the good things stop there. One of my major critiques of “Waves” is that it relies on music to convey its emotions. I love a good soundtrack, and many of the songs used are popular modern hits—perhaps in an attempt to connect to the younger generation.

However, using a song in place of an actual interaction points to a lack of effort and authenticity. “IFHY” by Tyler, the Creator used in place of a breakup scene? Yeah, I get it. “I Am A God” by Kanye West used in place of angry, misplaced confidence? Yeah, I get it. “Love is A Losing Game” by Amy Winehouse used to represent the tribulations of losing a significant other? Sir, please, we all get it. I got an hour into the film and realized I was still waiting to be impressed, a feeling that never went away.

In addition, one can’t refute “Waves”’s mirroring of the 2016 movie “Moonlight”. Incredibly well received by critics, “Moonlight” won a plethora of awards for its portrayal of a Black man’s transcendence into adulthood. I watched it a couple of years ago and have still not forgotten a single detail; it was one of those movies that went farther down in my heart than normal.

In contrast, “Waves,” which also centers around the maneuvers of love, loss and forgiveness as a Black individual, seems like it is trying way too hard to be profound.

Just as well, for highlighting race in its synopsis and trailer, one would expect “Waves” to explore the impact of racial identity further, except racial identity is addressed in one line—and then left unacknowledged for the rest of the movie.

Everything about “Waves” feels underdeveloped. Politely, it gives off vibes of a struggling screenplay writer who lives in his parents’ basement. I don’t know if this is because it centers around too many characters, or if it’s because it’s trying to tackle too many concepts, or its split narrative halfway through…probably all of the above.

Ultimately, I wanted to like this movie so badly, but I just didn’t. At all. Based on its stellar ratings, I am confused at my reaction—because genuinely, it felt like a chore to finish. I give “Waves” one out of five stars.