Waves

Waves (2019) is a drama from Trey Edward Shults that you can watch online on iFILM. South Florida, an affluent African American family. High schooler Tyler seems to have it all: sports, a girlfriend, a father in his corner. Over one summer, it all starts to come apart.

Tyler, played by Kelvin Harrison Jr., is a rising wrestler, but a shoulder injury threatens to end his career just as his girlfriend Alexis learns she's pregnant. The pressure from his father, Sterling K. Brown, who demands nothing short of winning, only tightens the spiral. When the unthinkable happens, the story suddenly hands the focus to Tyler's sister Emily, played by Taylor Russell, turning a tale of collapse into one about learning to breathe again. Lucas Hedges and Alexa Demie round out the cast.

Shults works through emotion and sound: a shifting aspect ratio, neon light, and a Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross score that sets the pulse. The film breaks cleanly in two, and the second half heals about as much as the first one wounds. A strong pick if you want sensory, big-hearted cinema about family, guilt and forgiveness. Stream Waves (2019) online on iFILM.