Sterling K. Brown leads the stirring first trailer for A24's buzzy Waves
Aux Features Coming Distractions
On the heels of its buzzy debut at the Telluride Film Festival comes a trailer for A24's Waves, the latest film from wunderkind filmmaker Trey Edward Shults. Shults delivered a debut for the ages with the transcendently unnerving Krisha, and followed it up with the solid It Comes At Night. Like both of those films, Waves is about family, with Sterling K. Brown playing the steely patriarch of a clan in suburban South Florida.
While both of Shults’ previous features served to shred the nerves, Waves looks to electrify them with a sweeping scope, grand emotions, and a heart-swelling score from Oscar-winning composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Joining Brown is an impressive cast that includes Luce breakout Kelvin Harrison, Jr., Euphoria’s Alexa Demie, Lost In Space’s Taylor Russell, and Oscar nominee (and Shia LaBeouf stand-in) Lucas Hedges.
Here’s a synopsis:
Set against the vibrant landscape of South Florida, and featuring an astonishing ensemble of award-winning actors and breakouts alike, Waves traces the epic emotional journey of a suburban African-American family—led by a well-intentioned but domineering father—as they navigate love, forgiveness, and coming together in the aftermath of a loss. From acclaimed director Trey Edward Shults, Waves is a heartrending story about the universal capacity for compassion and growth even in the darkest of times.
Waves will play at the Toronto International Film Festival this week. A premiere date is forthcoming.
20 Comments
Dead mom?
Gee when I saw the beach and ocean outside the diner window I thought sure this was going to be another tsunami movie.
It’s the tsunami version of Force Majeure
Man, put any song from Blonde in a trailer and I’m in. But even without Godspeed, this trailer and the festival response to the film puts it toward the top of my most anticipated of the year list.
Anytime I hear “wunderkind” gets tossed around my alarms go off. “It Comes At Night” was one of the most disappointing experiences I’ve had in the theater this decade. I think I’ll pass.
Counterpoint: It Comes At Night is the best horror film this decade.
Though I found it insufferably boring and predictable (“staunch, protective patriarch keeps out outsiders to detriment of all” theme that’s certainly resonant in our current times, but that’s been done much better, and certainly less dryly), I’ll bite: Why is It Comes At Night the best horror film this decade? If anything, hopefully this conversation will redeem the $9 I spent watching it.I’ll admit, my disappointment mainly stemmed from the fact that the movie was marketed as a horror film, when it’s not. Any horror elements are extremely minimal (mainly occurring in a single nightmare), and It Comes At Night falls squarely in the “survivalist thriller” genre. Unfortunately, even viewing through the latter terms, I found its adherence to that genre very rote and paint-by-numbers. I didn’t hate it as much as the stranger next to me, who loudly declared during the end credits that he was going to the counter to ask for his money back, but I was, as I said, very disappointed and bored.
It’s 100% about what’s happening off-screen. It works far more in dream logic and unstated paranoia than anything the characters actually speak aloud. And for me, I love films put together like a puzzle. It fits in the vein of Cache and Mulholland Dr. which are also horrific because it’s not necessarily clear on first watch what is happening.
Just so I’m understanding your perspective, are you saying that the film is operating as a dream (sleep as a ritual is important in the film, as are dreams, so this could make sense), or simply that the events of the film operate by dream logic?
A little bit of both. More of a literal fever dream. It’s the terror of death by unknown means. I don’t actually think It Comes By Night is the best horror film of the decade, I was being hyperbolic for fun. But it was definitely one of my favorite movies of 2017 and feel the hate it’s garnered is completely unearned.
Fair enough. I think the false marketing is responsible for most of the hate its garnered, which isn’t the movie’s fault. Probably would have garnered more of a “meh” from me than the more passive-aggressive “MEH!”
Counter-counterpoint: It Comes at Night was worse than Alien: Covenant
Ultimate Counterpoint: Nothing is worse than Alien: Covenant.
While I was also disappointed by It Comes at Night (so, so rote), that Variety review was staggeringly positive.
Exactly my same feeling as well. Although if there were Oscars for trailer hype It Comes at Night would’ve won easily.
I love when a trailer doesn’t give away what the movie is about, but this trailer may have literally just been a sketch for a fake movie called“Emotionally Devastating but Important: An Oscars Contender.”
Looks like an indie Nicholas Sparks movie
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I thought I read this was gonna be a musical, was that just a rumor that turned out to be false? Am I thinking of a different movie maybe?
When I first read this headline I was confused and thought this was about a different movie called Buzzy Waves.