Waves May Inspire You to Cherish Things Before They’re Gone

Review by Ja’Karri Hodge. Photo courtesy of The Martini Shot.

I just finished watching a movie titled Waves. It was released on November 27, 2019, and was produced, written, and directed by Trey Edward Shults. Waves is honestly my favorite movie because it changed the way I think about relationships.

Waves is about an 18-year-old boy named Tyler, who is played by Kelvin Harrison Jr., who goes through a series of emotions while in a relationship with his girlfriend, Alexis, who is played by Alexa Demie. Things were looking good for the two until Tyler found out that Alexis is pregnant with his child. She wants to keep it, but Tyler doesn't, as he is too focused on wrestling and doesn’t feel like the time is right. This leads to big arguments between the two and causes them to break up. Alexis moves on and finds a new boyfriend, but Tyler is still hurt and is filled with sadness due to her absence. Tyler tries to find comfort in partying with his friends. At one of these parties, he finds Alexis there, and they get into another heated argument, but this one turns out to be violent. As Alexis tries to push him out of her way, Tyler hits her on her head, which knocks her out cold. Alexis later dies from her injuries, and Tyler is arrested. 

The movie then switches to the perspective of Tyler’s sister, Emily, who is played by Taylor Russell. Emily finds out about everything going on with Tyler and is feeling more depressed than ever because her brother is now serving jail time for killing his ex-girlfriend. Emily is seeking purpose in her life, and by chance, she is approached by a boy named Luke who goes to the same high school as her. He asks her on a date, she accepts, and the two immediately click. She falls for him, and the two become inseparable. They travel around a lot, so Taylor is never home, which puts even more stress on her parents. Emily apologizes for her actions, and they all eventually reconnect.

Every actor in the film did an extraordinary job in their roles. I would recommend this movie to anyone who loves romantic or tragic movies. I love Waves because not only was I able to understand the characters’ actions, but it also changed my perspective on how relationships can have their ups and downs. Tyler reminds me of myself because we tend to let our anger out on the ones we love most, when we really just yearn for love and attention. Although Alexis yearned for love also, Tyler had mental health issues that he couldn’t deal with properly, for the sake of his relationship with Alexis. Tyler and Alexis’ relationship was positive, until Tyler got her pregnant and didn’t know how to deal with a baby in high school. Alexis just wanted Tyler to be there for her whenever she didn’t feel like dealing with her parents. 

I would rate this movie 10/10, and will watch it again. Waves is available to stream on Apple TV, Tubi, YouTube, and more.

Ja’Karri Hodge is a freshman at Friendship Collegiate Academy.