Waves

Not sure how this movie went from edge of your seat to checking your watch but it did, I still liked it though. Just a bit Lucas Hedges-ed out.

Some good performances by the young actors but the director tried to be too cute and the movie was too long.

The purpose of the fine-grained emotional details keeps getting scrubbed out of Waves as its runtime wears on and reconciliation feels increasingly imminent. The observations are sharp, but the attitudes and arcs that they paint feel overly simple.

Sometimes Shults’ reach exceeds his grasp, resulting in a self-conscious epic that wants to hammer home its characters’ emotional wreckage. Nevertheless, Waves is also powerfully immersive, investing so passionately in these individuals that it’s hard not to do the same.

Tim Grierson

Screen International

Technically, it wouldn't be wrong to call Waves a teen drama, but that generic label doesn't begin to convey the emotional scope of this tender, bruising, exuberant film.

Sheri Linden

The Hollywood Reporter