Waves, or How to Start a Revolution with Love
By Jacob Renn
As we exited the train and entered the brisk, windy Capitol Hill night, I knew the night would be unique. Although the sun had already set, the glimmering light shining from the city lights provided enough artificial light to guide our path.
I was genuinely excited, albeit a little stressed, but overall, quite excited. My experiences in Capitol Hill have all been fairly interesting. From visiting a gay bar with my friend to partying all night at the Capitol Hill Block Party, I have experienced it all. Well, most of it, I quickly found out.
From the rainbow-colored sidewalks to the shining Christmas lights, I was enthralled by the scenery. On the contrary, The Egyptian, unlike the overtly flamboyant nature of the neighborhood, was tucked away. A remnant of the past reinvented for the future. I do not know the full history of the theater, but its independent nature continues to ring out. It is truly a unique place, and as one of the oldest theaters in the Seattle area, it maintains its integrity.
As soon as we walked in, I noticed the beautiful nature of classic cinema. The screen and stage still exist, and the massive auditorium, with over five hundred seats, is a sight to truly behold. I was genuinely captivated and moved by the arena. Cinema has always been my little sibling, a being which I nitpick and laugh at (and occasionally, with), but ultimately adore. Walking into the auditorium sparked a nostalgic walk in the park for me, and I simply did not want to leave. For once, I was comfortable. For once, I was at home.
Waves is a difficult film. It’s heartbreaking. It’s tear-jerking, and it’s exactly what we need right now. The film is separated into two parts, one focusing on Ronald’s son, Tyler, and the other on his daughter, Emily. Through the first part, Tyler, a championed wrestler, slowly devolves through a series of traumatic experiences. Not only is his shoulder falling apart, but his girlfriend is also pregnant. After severely damaging his shoulder, he begins to abuse his father’s prescriptions. This addiction then leads to alcohol abuse, and eventually, imprisonment for a terrible mistake.
Soon after, the story picks up with Emily, dealing with the loss of her brother to the system. She is constantly harassed online, bullied in school, and outcasted in her own home. Her parents can no longer speak to each other, and since she was there the night of his mistake, she can barely speak to them. As time passes, she meets a boy, and they quickly fall for each other. They share stories of their past, both the good times and the bad times. After discussing the death of her birth mother, Emily convinces her new boyfriend to visit his abusive, yet dying father. Through this experience, they bond. As they become closer and closer, she distances herself from her brother and his actions. From the concrete grew a rose. A traumatic experience leads to something beautiful, and at the film, she is stronger than ever before. While the family is divided and cannot properly recover, they reach an understanding through the pain, and recognize the healing power of love.
While the story is timeless, it is important to recognize that Trey Edward Shults, like few others in this modern age, utilized his privilege and experience to communicate a message unlike any other. He targets addiction. He fights injustices. He exposes white culture, and how dangerous living vicariously can be. He did so by using his own pain and sorrow from his own life, including his own father’s death. Instead of holding it in, he shared it with the world, which, in doing so, turns himself into an activist, an individual with a message for the betterment of society. Through his use of mass media, he teaches the audience the importance of love to bring about social change, while showing the normality of issues.
In addition, he brings up social issues without shoving them in the audience’s face. Everything in the film is natural, and that is how more social activists should include issues. For example, Tyler’s addiction to prescriptions is subtle, which makes it even more unsettling. We have grown, as a society, to accept this ridiculousness, and Shults treats the audience as he should, like adults. In fact, the majority of issues presented are not ham-fisted. Grief is presented as a normal effect, and anger is utilized to represent a sense of freedom. The movie addressed these issues by making them wholly human. Grief is human. Addiction is human. Pain, fear, anger, hate, and love are all human. We should be less focused on targeting these issues with hatred and disappointment, and attribute them more to the infallibility of human beings. This is how to inspire change. We need to create a culture of “How can I help?” and avoid the teasing and name calling. Waves is a beautiful first step toward this revolution.
Halfway through the film, there is a crucial scene, which involves Sterling K. Brown’s character, Ronald, and his daughter: Taylor Russell’s, Emily. After opening up about his difficulties with his wife, Emily reveals that she could have stopped Trey the night of his mistake. “He’s a monster,” she repeats, “he’s a monster.” “He’s just a human being. Same flesh and blood as you and me. You can hate him all you want, but let me tell you something. That hate will swallow you up. It’ll swallow you,” her dad states. By recognizing and exposing issues as human like and not ultimately despicable, Trey Edward Shults creates a cohesive narrative that promotes the importance of love and the true difficulties of life.
Leaving the theater, I was stunned. Both parts were so polarizing that I did not know what to truly think or say. Certain elements immediately stuck out to me as brilliant, but I could not make sense of what I just witnessed. Maybe that’s just the brilliance of cinema? Maybe it’s what we need as a society, in this current climate. Love is the only ideal which can heal us, and I believe that is what every movement is primarily based on. People just want love, and people just want to love. So, we should stop tearing individuals down, recognize that humans are solely what they are (human), and remember to love each other once again. I am sticking to this belief, and I believe that Shults would wholeheartedly agree.
