In just three films, writer/director Trey Edwards Shults has shown a big desire to explore the demons that haunt people’s lives. Sometimes they can be literal, as in the supernatural It Comes at Night. But more often, as in that film; his first film, Krisha; and his latest, Waves, those demons are metaphorical, fighting their way to the surface of even seemingly stable people.
The family at the center of Waves — father Ronald (Sterling K. Brown), stepmother Catharine (Renee Elise Goldsberry), son Tyler (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), and daughter Emily (Taylor Russell) — appear to be living an ideal life. Ronald and Catharine run a business that affords them luxuries most people can’t afford, and Tyler, a star on his school’s wrestling team, has a fun and loving girlfriend, Alexis (Alexa Demie).
But just below the surface are cracks, mostly in the relationship of Ronald and Tyler. Though well-intentioned, Ronald pushes his son to make sacrifices to succeed, which in turn causes Tyler to make poor decisions, like taking opioids to mask a shoulder injury. Little by little those cracks get bigger and the pressure builds until an explosion takes place that affects the entire family.
From the very first moment of the film, Shults demonstrates a mastery of storytelling, introducing his characters in a whirlwind of camera movements that sets a fantastic tone. The kinetic nature of the title sequence is continued for much of the rest of the film, with Shults shifting aspect ratios in the film to reinforce the mood of certain scenes.
The result is both brutal and beautiful to watch. The troubles of the family are difficult to handle, but the cinematography of Drew Daniels and the staging of the scenes continually draw you in. The story goes in many unexpected directions, and that unpredictability serves it well.
Also maintaining its grip throughout is the score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Since their Oscar-winning score for 2010’s The Social Network, the Nine Inch Nails bandmates have been in demand to score other films, and they deliver another doozy here. Their atmospheric music, combined with a variety of hip hop songs, complements the mood of the film. It’s subtle when it needs to be, but also overpowering at just the right moments.
The film contains stunning performances across the board. Harrison and Russell are given the bulk of the load, and the young actors are more than up to the task. Harrison is especially devastating in his depiction of a teenager going into a spiral. Brown, as he’s proven multiple times in recent years, is one of the finest actors working today, and nothing he does here dispels that notion.
Waves is both an emotionally rewarding and shattering experience. No one would want to confront the demons that the family in this film have to face, but Shults has made a film journey that’s well worth taking.
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Waves is playing at the South Lamar location of Alamo Drafthouse.
Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Sterling K. Brown in Waves.
Photo courtesy of A24
Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Sterling K. Brown in Waves.
Only in Austin does recording in a tin can create excellent sound. Specifically, this "tin can" is a 1955 Spartan Imperial Mansion trailer, a spacious mobile home converted into a relatively cramped studio. But the unconventional setup is no match for producer and engineer James Westley Essary.
Essary and his videographer brother, Brantley, have been using the space to build up their inner circle of musicians, capturing intimate performances in professional recordings available on YouTube. Live From The Tin Can premiered its second season on April 15, 2024, and is looking forward to a long string of diverse performances to come. Right now listeners can enjoy Ron Gallo, David Ramirez, Vondré, John Calvin Abney, Angel White, and more on the YouTube channel.
First up this season was Worn-Tin (an amazing coincidence of a name), performing "Hard Ease," "Bitter," and "Kid Changed," a pleasantly lackadaisical series of alt-rock romps, somehow squeezing in two drum sets. Worn-Tin, like many other artists this season on the YouTube series, performed live at South by Southwest in March. The festival, along with the concurrent Luck Reunion, brought a wealth of artists to the Live Music Capital, so the Tin Can crew took advantage of the easy scheduling.
"South By's website is actually a great way to find out who was coming into town," says Brantley. "So we started thinking about things like, what is what is their sound like? What is their performance like, and will that translate into our space? ... [We] just started contacting managers: 'Hey, do you have a free morning, free afternoon? Want to come by?' The sessions only take about a couple of hours."
Although the Essarys are hoping to get more national acts into the Tin Can to boost views, their hope is that over time they can narrow their focus back to local artists. (The series premiere featured Austin band Kelly Doyle.) Beyond the view counts, these recordings are mutually beneficial; Artists don't just get exposure, but lasting high-quality recordings for free, and the brothers get to build a portfolio. Westley, who just goes by his second name in conversation, appreciates the stylistic challenge.
Producer and engineer James Westley Essary does the auditory impossible.Photo courtesy of Live From The Tin Can
"I get to create a little calling card, [and] they get a way to push their new record when they're rolling through town and on tour," says Westley. "As you put out records you get pigeonholed ... I want to make a punk record, and I want to make a metal record. I want to make a country record. So it allows me to be able to dabble in whatever I want — whatever we book in the studio."
Making these connections was Westley's main goal in creating the series during the pandemic. It'd been a loose idea at the producer's prior studio, with occasional shoots for social media. As we all remember, 2019 was not famous for its sense of urgency. But when the studio was "sold out from under" Westley in October, he got tired of hopping from one rental to another.
He bought the trailer in December 2019 and spent the following year working on it. The end of his work coincided with Brantley's desire to move back to Austin from Seattle, so the returning brother provided the property to park the trailer on. The rest was good, old-fashioned pandemic restlessness.
The Tin Can in all its metallic glory.Photo courtesy of Live From The Tin Can
"When you're on the road all the time, you're meeting new bands every day, because you have a different opener or something," says Westley. "And I was like, 'How can I bring that to me?' It's a lot of fun when there's not really any money involved. You're not dedicating a ton of time, necessarily, to it. Bands come here, they have a really great time, [and] it's really nice to be able to host them."
Of course, recording in such a small space has its challenges. Most of the solution was in arranging; not the music, but the musicians. Placing everyone just right minimizes the bleed of certain instruments into other microphones, and as long as the singer stays relatively still, the drums — the biggest culprit — mostly keep their sound to themselves.
Some issues are also fixed with slightly quieter playing, unintentionally creating a sort of sonic brand for the series. It's not all bedroom pop, but the combination of a cozy recording environment and slightly restrained volume makes for some homey performances. This also works nicely for Westley — isn't that happening a lot? — who says he usually prefers listening at home to watching in a crowd.
Still, live recordings add a certain spice to the music. Many music fans will attribute it to the organic mystery of musicians clicking together, but Westley thinks there's something else at play. There's no substitute for practice, and by the time musicians are making live recordings, they've probably played the song live dozens or even hundreds of times. That allows for improvements on the original ideas — sometimes ones that originated in the studio at the time of the first recording.
Ron Gallo squeezes into the Tin Can.Still from Live From The Tin Can
It's also an easy way to make additional income without writing more, he says. Brantley points out that live music has always been at the core of the business.
"Live music has been at the top for forever," says Brantley. "Now we've got artists selling out huge arenas. They're competing with the NFL; They're not competing with movies or TV as much anymore. ... So I love the opportunity to not just record live music, but also film it. You're getting a full experience of both the really compelling live recording [and] even more compelling video to watch them in their element — really playing it live rather than just in a box in the studio."
The next frontier for the Tin Can crew will be hosting live shows onsite. Westley will be in the trailer recording while the band plays outside, and eventually Brantley might start capturing video, too. Also down the pipeline are audio-only live recordings, so listeners can enjoy the tunes without relying on YouTube.
One episode featuring NOBRO from Montreal, Quebec, is out now, with more to come. Next up is Evangeline from Los Angeles. Follow along with Live From The Tin Can ("Like and subscribe," says Brantley with a smile) on YouTube.