Waves 2019 [2021] Jun 2026

Ronald’s arc is the key. He is not a villain; he is a father who loved his son so hard he squeezed the life out of him. When he finally visits Tyler in a juvenile detention center, there are no easy reconciliations. There is just a low, sobbing whisper: “I’m sorry.” It’s not enough. It can never be enough. But Shults suggests that holding onto the “not enough” might be the thing that drowns you.

Cinema in 2019 was defined by scale. It was the year of Avengers: Endgame , The Irishman , and Parasite —films that commanded massive cultural real estate through explosive spectacle, historical gravity, or sharp social satire. Yet, amid this landscape of cinematic giants, a quieter, more devastating masterpiece emerged from the indie circuit. Released by A24 and directed by Trey Edward Shults, arrived as a visceral, hyper-stylized portrait of a contemporary suburban family fracturing under the weight of pressure, grief, and expectations. waves 2019

Ronald’s arc is the key. He is not a villain; he is a father who loved his son so hard he squeezed the life out of him. When he finally visits Tyler in a juvenile detention center, there are no easy reconciliations. There is just a low, sobbing whisper: “I’m sorry.” It’s not enough. It can never be enough. But Shults suggests that holding onto the “not enough” might be the thing that drowns you.

Cinema in 2019 was defined by scale. It was the year of Avengers: Endgame , The Irishman , and Parasite —films that commanded massive cultural real estate through explosive spectacle, historical gravity, or sharp social satire. Yet, amid this landscape of cinematic giants, a quieter, more devastating masterpiece emerged from the indie circuit. Released by A24 and directed by Trey Edward Shults, arrived as a visceral, hyper-stylized portrait of a contemporary suburban family fracturing under the weight of pressure, grief, and expectations.