Waves (2019 film)

 

Written, directed, and co-edited by Trey Edward Shults, Waves is the story of an African-American family living in South Florida as their patriarch tries to ensure success for his son only for things to fall apart. The film is an exploration of a family who are trying to live their lives yet the demands of living a better life eventually takes the toll on the family. Starring Kelvin Harrison Jr., Lucas Hedges, Taylor Russell, Alexa Demie, Renee Elise Goldsberry, and Sterling K. Brown. Waves is an intoxicating and evocative film from Trey Edward Shults.

Set in Fort Lauderdale and areas in South Florida, the film follows the life of an African-American family as their patriarch pushes for 18-year old son to succeed with great pressure only for everything to suddenly crack and lead to tragedy and a troubling aftermath. It’s a film that explores a family who seems to have it all but the pressures to maintain that success begins to take its toll on a young man who has a thriving amateur wrestling career, a girlfriend, and everything that a high school senior wants. Trey Edward Shults’ screenplay follows this life of a family with the son Tyler Williams (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) at the center of the story in its first half as he is someone with a lot of promise but his father Ronald (Sterling K. Brown) is pushing him to do better in the hopes that he wouldn’t have to struggle the way Ronald did. Yet, the physical and mental pressure begins to take its toll as does his relationship with his girlfriend Alexis (Alexa Demie) who reveals that she might be pregnant.

Tyler doesn’t tell his father nor his stepmother Catherine (Renee Elise Goldsberry) about the news as well as a warning from a doctor about his shoulder as it would all crash down for the film’s first half. The second half focuses on the aftermath of these events as well as Tyler’s younger sister Emily (Taylor Russell) in how she copes with the events as well as her own growing loneliness leading to a romance with one of Tyler’s wrestling teammates in Luke (Lucas Hedges). Emily’s role in the narrative is someone who didn’t just saw the events that lead to tragedy but also watch her family just go through the motions as she was also crucial in the film’s first half as she saw Tyler breaking down and ready to explode amidst the pressures of everything he’s going through.

Shults’ direction is definitely stylish in not just the compositions he creates throughout the film but also in using different aspect ratios as it is shot largely on location in Fort Lauderdale and nearby areas in South Florida as well as additional locations in Columbia, Missouri for a key sequence in the third act. Shults would also use these long tracking shots as well as 360 degree shots of an entire location or in a car to play into the world that the Williams family is in with the tracking shots getting a view of where a character is at some place. Most notably a scene where Tyler walks into a big party to find Alexis as it would play into this key event that would shake everything. Shults’ usage of the Steadicam for the tracking shots does also include moments of style in these long tracking shots where the camera pan towards another character as if something is to happen. Even as there’s a lot of stylish slow-motion shots that add to this poetic tone in the visuals with a lot of the wide and medium shots including some intense dramatic moments with the latter such as a conversation between Tyler and Ronald with the latter emphasizing on what he is trying to do as a father and the hope that the former doesn’t make any big mistakes.

The different aspect ratios that Shults presents add to the visual tone of the film as the first half is shot in a 1:85:1 aspect ratio but following a key event that would shake up everything. The film changes into a 1:33:1 aspect ratio as it plays into a world where everything becomes tighter as the usage of close-ups and medium shots become more evident. When the film begins to focus on Emily, it does play into different aspect ratios in the wide screen format ranging from 2:35:1 and beyond where it adds to not just Emily’s own identity beginning to flourish but also watching her family’s image crumbling as she tries to ponder whether it was inevitable or she could’ve done something to prevent what had happened. Even as she accompanies Luke for his own journey as it also play into the idea of loss and regret not just for Luke but also for the Williams family. Overall, Shults crafts a rapturous yet harrowing film about the life of an African-American family living in South Florida.

Cinematographer Drew Daniels does incredible work with the film’s colorful cinematography to capture the vibrancy of the neon lights for the scenes at night including in some of the party scenes as well as maintain something natural for many of the interior/exterior scenes set in the day. Editors Trey Edward Shults and Isaac Hagy do excellent work with the editing with the usage of jump-cuts in some shots as well as some slow-motion cuts while keeping much of the editing straightforward. Production designer Elliott Hostetter, with set decorator Adam Willis and art director Margaux Rust, does brilliant work with the interior of the Williams home as well as a few other houses as well as some of the interiors at the school where Tyler and Emily attend. Costume designer Rachel Dainer-Best does fantastic work with some of the clothes as it is largely casual to play into the youthful world of the teens along with a more refined look of the adults.

Special effects supervisor Craig Barnett and visual effects supervisor Lucien Harriot do nice work with some of the visuals that include these dream-like images that play as transitional scenes as it is mainly set-dressing. Sound designers Max Behrens, Johnnie Burn, Simon Carroll, Brendan Feeney, Jack Patterson, Jack Sedgwick, and Ned Sisson do amazing work with the sound as it helps maintain an atmosphere in the locations as well as how some of the smaller moments sound including the music and parts of nature as it is a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is phenomenal for its somber and ambient-based music that help play into the drama and some of the dream-like moment in the film as it is a major highlight of the film. Music supervisor Meghan Currier does superb work with the soundtrack as it feature an array of music ranging from classic jazz, hip-hop, EDM, and indie from artists/acts like Dinah Washington, Kendrick Lamar, Animal Collective, Tame Impala, Frank Ocean, A$AP Rocky, Tyler the Creator, Fuck Buttons, Amy Winehouse, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Alabama Shakes, Radiohead, SZA, Chance the Rapper, Colin Stetson, and THEY as it play into the culture that the kids are soaking themselves in.

The casting by Avy Kaufman is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Bill Wise as Tyler’s wrestling coach, Krisha Fairchild as the English teacher, filmmaker Harmony Korine as another teacher, David Garelik as a friend of Tyler, Neal Huff as Luke’s estranged father, Vivi Peneda as Alexis’ daughter, and Clifton Collins Jr. in a small role as Alexis’ daughter whom Tyler briefly converses with. Alexa Demie is fantastic as Tyler’s girlfriend Alexis as someone who cares about him but also raises concern about her own pregnancy as she copes with having to make some difficult decisions of her own that only causes more trouble for Tyler. Lucas Hedges is excellent as Luke as a teammate of Tyler who befriends Emily in its third act as he reaches out to her while also being gentle and kind to her during a tumultuous time for her. Renee Elise Goldsberry is brilliant as Tyler and Emily’s stepmother Catherine as a woman that is concerned about Tyler’s mental state but also the chaos that would later follow as she deals with its troubling aftermath.

Sterling K. Brown is amazing as Tyler and Emily’s father Ronald as a man who is trying to ensure that Tyler succeeds in the hopes that he doesn’t have to suffer the way he did when he was young as someone who means well but ends up pushing his son too hard as he deals with his own faults. Kelvin Harrison Jr. is incredible as Tyler as an 18-year old high school senior who has it all yet copes with the pressure of needing to succeed only to deal with problems of his own due to his own faults and decisions where he ends up going into his own downward spiral. Finally, there’s Taylor Russell in a phenomenal performance as Emily Williams as Tyler’s younger sister who spends much of the film’s first half observing her brother and his downward spiral only to later deal with the events that shook up her own family as well as coming into her own identity as it’s a somber yet evocative performance from Russell.

Waves is a tremendous film from Trey Edward Shults that features an incredible ensemble cast led by Kelvin Harrison Jr., Taylor Russell, and Sterling K. Brown. Along with its supporting cast, ravishing visuals, wondrous approach to storytelling, an intoxicating score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and a hypnotic music soundtrack. The film is definitely a visceral and engrossing film about a family trying to maintain a degree of success only to succumb to pressure and bad decisions that would bring ruin but also revelations about themselves. In the end, Waves is a magnificent film from Trey Edward Shults.

Related: (null 11)

Trey Edward Shults Films: Krisha (2015 film) - (It Comes at Night)

© thevoid99 2021

Krisha (2015 film)

 

Written, edited, co-starring, and directed by Trey Edward Shults that is based on a short film that he wrote and directed, Krisha is the story of a woman who returns to spend Thanksgiving with her estranged family as she copes with demons and her own substance abuse issues. The film is a study of a woman who is trying to stay clean and keep out of trouble yet her own issues start to threaten this event in the hope that she can reconcile with her family as the titular character is portrayed by Shults’ real-life aunt Krisha Fairchild. Also starring Robyn Fairchild and Bill Wise. Krisha is an eerie yet mesmerizing film from Trey Edward Shultz.

It’s Thanksgiving as a woman in her 60s arrive to the house having not seen her family in nearly a decade as she hopes to reconcile with them including her son whom she’s been estranged with while is coping with demons including her own past as an alcoholic and drug addict. It’s a film with a simple premise as it takes place mainly in the span of an entire day from Krisha’s arrival to the house in the day to the chaos expected in Thanksgiving at night. Trey Edward Shults’ screenplay doesn’t have much of a plot as it’s more of a character study of Krisha as she is trying to make amends with the family including her son Trey (Trey Edward Shults) whom she remains estranged with as she is seeking to reconcile with him though Trey is resistant as he remains close to his aunt Robyn (Robyn Fairchild).

Adding to the turmoil of the day is her brother-in-law Doyle (Bill Wise) who is skeptical about Krisha being sober and hoping she doesn’t cause trouble. As the day goes on, Krisha struggles with the chaos as well as meeting her dementia-stricken mother Billie (Billie Fairchild) as the script showcases a family trying to enjoy themselves yet there is this dark shadow that is lurking in the form of Krisha and how she might ruin the day.

Shults’ direction does have elements of style in its presentation as well as choosing different aspect ratios in the film to play into Krisha’s state of mind. Yet, Shults does maintain an intimacy throughout the film as it is shot on location at the home of Shults’ parents in Texas. The film’s second shot that has Krisha arriving on a truck and trying to find the front door of this big house as it is this long tracking shot that is shot in 1:85:1 aspect ratio that opens wide and gets closer into a medium shot as it help sets the tone for the film’s first half. Notably in the way Shults’ usage of hand-held cameras and his approach to close-ups and medium shots play into a style similar to cinema verite where it feels real at times while there are also these moments that play into the activity of family members goofing around or cooking in these sort of gliding camera shots.

Also serving as the editor, Shults provides some unique jump-cuts and some stylish montages as it play into some of the craziness that occurs as it would build into Krisha’s own state of mind as well as the difficulty to maintain her sanity. The film’s second half opens with a new aspect ratio in the 2:35:1 aspect ratio as it would play into the demons that is happening around Krisha as it has this dizzying presentation where it looks like something is about to break where Shults’ direction play into this whirlwind of chaos. The film’s opening shot and its last 20-30 minutes is presented in a 1:33:1 aspect ratio as its focus is on Krisha and all of the drama that is to occur but also a woman who knows she is fragile and ponders whether she made the mistake of attending this dinner. Shults would use close-ups to play into her plight as well the opening shot of the film mirrors the final shot as it focuses on this intense night for a woman whose demons may have not have gone away. Overall, Shults crafts a gripping and unsettling film about a woman’s attempt to reconnect with her family on a tense and troubled Thanksgiving.

Cinematographer Drew Daniels does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its naturalistic look as well as using available light to maintain something that feels real but also gorgeous in its look. Sound designer Tim Rakoczy does amazing work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the noises at the home as well as some of the sparse chaos that occur. The film’s music by Brian McOmber is incredible for its haunting and eerie music score that is filled with some ambient and electronic textures that include a key scene of loops and soundscapes for a dizzying sequence in the film’s first half as well as low-key ambient cuts to play into the drama while the lone non-score piece is a song performed by Nina Simone that is played on a record player.

The film’s superb cast feature some notable small roles from an ensemble of mainly non-actors that include some of Shults’ relatives and friends in Bryan Casserly and Olivia Grace Applegate as the young couple in Logan and Briana respectively, Rose Nelson and Chase Joilet as a couple of relatives, Atheena and Augustine as a couple of twin women, Chris Doubeck as Robyn’s husband, and Billie Fairchild as Krisha’s dementia-stricken mother. Robyn Fairchild is excellent as Krisha’s sister Robyn as a woman who invited her to Thanksgiving as she is hoping that Krisha would be fine only to realize that Krisha might not all be well.

Trey Edward Shults is fantastic as Krisha’s estranged son Trey as someone who is close to Robyn and the family but is wary of his mother despite her attempts to reconnect with him as it’s a restrained performance from Shults who plays a man who is probably not ready to talk to her. Bill Wise is brilliant as Krisha’s brother-in-law Doyle as a relative who converses with Krisha yet isn’t sure that Krisha is telling the truth as he is suspicious about her sobriety making him antagonistic towards her. Finally, there’s Krisha Fairchild in a tremendous performance as the titular character as a woman who is hoping to reconnect with her family including her son following a near-decade of cleaning herself up as she contends with old demons and other events as it’s just this chilling and entrancing performance where Fairchild displays a woman who might crack at any point as well as is someone who knows how fragile she is as it is definitely a performance that needs to be seen.

Krisha is a tremendous film from Trey Edward Shults that features a phenomenal performance from Krisha Fairchild. Along with its supporting cast, realistic imagery, themes of reconciliation and substance abuse, and its offbeat and haunting score. The film is definitely an unconventional yet unsettling drama that play into a woman’s attempt to redeem herself only to deal with some unresolved issues and demons that might destroy this one night of gathering. In the end, Krisha is a spectacular film from Trey Edward Shults.

Trey Edward Shults Films: (It Comes at Night) – Waves (2019 film)

© thevoid99 2021