It stars Kelvin Harrison Jr., Taylor Russell, Lucas Hedges, Alexa Demie, Renée Elise Goldsberry, and Sterling K. Brown.

It traces the emotional journey of a suburban American family as they navigate love, forgiveness and coming together in the wake of a tragic loss.

It received positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances (particularly that of Harrison, Russell, and Brown), cinematography, and Shults' direction.

Against the recommendation of his doctor, Tyler continues to wrestle competitively until he is thrown onto his shoulder during a match, causing irreparable damage and ending his season, as well as his career.

The night of the school's "Maverick Ball", a grounded Tyler goes on Instagram and sees a picture showing Alexis posing with another boy.

According to Adam White of The Independent, Shults did not envision a specific racial ethnicity for the family when he wrote the script, and it was only after black actors were cast that references to the characters' race were added to the story.

[8] In July 2018, it was announced Lucas Hedges, Sterling K. Brown, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Taylor Russell joined the cast of the film.

[11] Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross composed the film's score, replacing Shults' frequent collaboration with Brian McOmber.

In an interview, Shults stated, "I got one of the coolest e-mails of my life one day that Trent Reznor was a fan and wanted to meet.

[13] The film's soundtrack features a compilation of contemporary rap, R&B, alternative, and experimental pop music from artists including Animal Collective, Tame Impala, Frank Ocean, A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, The Shoes, H.E.R., Tyler, the Creator, Fuck Buttons, Amy Winehouse, Kanye West, THEY., Kid Cudi, Colin Stetson, SZA, Chance the Rapper, Radiohead, and Alabama Shakes.

[14] Shults wrote specific music cues into the screenplay such as Lamar's "Backseat Freestyle" and embedded files into the scripts sent to actors so they could listen to the intended songs for each scene.

[20] In September, Focus Features acquired the international distribution rights to the film, excluding Canada, China and Japan.

The site's consensus reads: "An up-close look at one family's emotional ups and downs, Waves captures complicated dynamics with tenderness and grace.

"[28] IndieWire's Eric Kohn gave the film a B+, stating "It's a definitive statement on the present moment, evoking the sheer horror of every uncertain exchange, and the courage involved in moving ahead regardless of what it means for the future".

[29] Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times called it "deeply rooted in its characters' consciousness, alert to the feelings of dread, shame, rage and despair that threaten to bring these fast-moving lives to a standstill".

Harrison stated that due to the previously inferior position in society occupied by African-Americans, there is often "a pressure placed on young Black boys to excel".

[32] Writing for The Face, Ludwig Hurtado said the film was part of a genre he termed "Tampa-core", which he described as presenting a "hyper-stylised vision of Florida" with "all the violence and drama of a classic western"; he included Zola and Spring Breakers as comparable titles.