In Waves: A Review of Love, Loss, and the Joy of Surfing
In Waves, the first animated film to open the Cannes Film Festival's Critics' Week, is an understated masterpiece. It tells a love story that is both spirited and tender, and heart-wrenching, with a strong emotional throughline. The film follows the journey of AJ, an introverted skateboarder, and Kristen, a gutsy surfer, as they navigate the complexities of first love, friendship, and committed partnership. Based on AJ Dungo's graphic novel, the movie is propelled by the immediacy of autobiography, with AJ himself as the main character, whose life is transformed by Kristen and her love of surfing.
The director, Phuong Mai Nguyen, infuses every frame with a quicksilver sensory power. The sun-kissed watercolor palette of its coastal SoCal setting, the black-and-white scenes of an imagined Hawaiian princess, and the solitary interlude for a committed surfer and artist all contribute to the film's unique visual language. The main action is intercut with scenes of AJ that foreshadow a solitary interlude for a committed surfer and artist.
The characters' athleticism speaks volumes, from the skateboard-level action on sidewalks to the moments when AJ awakens to the physical thrills and transcendent mysteries of catching a wave. Kristen's surfing lessons extend beyond the physical to the historical, as she tells AJ about the legendary father of modern surfing, Duke Kahanamoku, and how the missionaries colonizing Hawaii outlawed surfing, a centuries-old part of the local culture. For the Philippine American characters at the center of the drama, cultural identity is one facet among many, not always directly illuminated.
The romance between Kristen and AJ follows familiar arcs from spark to spark, but the way those moments are presented can be dazzling. They share their first kiss under an exquisite inky sky, and the sight of an elated AJ skateboarding home in the rain would make Gene Kelly proud. However, the story takes a turn when Kristen faces a life-threatening illness and an extreme medical ordeal. It isn't until well after her recovery that she and AJ make their relationship official to her parents.
The film's strength lies in its ability to balance narrative and visual language, with the imagery bolstered by musical contributions and outstanding sound work. Water is the drama's connective tissue, and the film captures its various textures, trajectories, and degrees of translucency, as well as the way it can spatter against the lens of a camera. The journey from the Southland to the Northwest is a headlong plunge into the balm of love, and the film effortlessly marries primal poetry to the quotidian.
In Waves is a tender, sharp, and luminous film that captures the complexities of first love, friendship, and committed partnership. It is a must-watch for anyone who appreciates a well-crafted love story, and a testament to the power of animation as a medium for storytelling.
