Waves ★★★★

I realize that the structure of this film will be problematic for a lot of people (my wife included) but I think it absolutely nails it. Without giving too much away to anyone who hasn't seen this, the film is basically broken down into two VERY different halves. It's a simple narrative device which could easily derail a headier movie. Fortunately, Schults isn't trying to convey a complex message here. 

At it's core, "Waves" is interested in preaching a "love above all" philosophy. It's certainly an over-simplification of nearly all the issues that are brought up in this film (teen angst, masculinity, substance abuse, mental health, racism, to name a few), however, the specific approach to the telling of this story, coupled with the ambitious vision on the part of the director and dedication of the actors TO that vision gave me the feeling that I was seeing something truly special. I didn't ultimately mind that the moral landing wasn't necessarily stuck. 

"Waves" isn't perfect but it sure seems to care a hell of a lot about it's characters and does a masterful job of drawing it's viewers into their lives for a couple hours.

Bonus points: 
- For Sterling K Brown's inability to freely express his insecurities. "It's been hard....hasn't it?"
- For Lucas Hedges' entire performance but especially his "dad arc."
- For Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for composing