Where to watch
Each link opens a search on that service. Checked 13 October 2026.
Streaming data from JustWatch
Waves
2019
· Movie
· 135 min
B
MEANRANK
75/100
Where it ranks
- Mean Score #1360
- IMDb #1158
- Google retired #2334
- Metacritic #825
- Letterboxd #577
- Rotten Tomatoes Critics #1620
+7 more
- Metacritic Critics #668
- Metacritic Audience #1412
- Criticker #924
- Douban #1783
- Kinopoisk #2691
- AlloCiné #1335
- Trakt #1368
Every rating
59–84
out of 100
Mostly agreed
Lowest is Criticker on 59, highest is Rotten Tomatoes critics on 84.
See the films the platforms disagree about most →A suburban African-American family navigates the complexities of love, forgiveness, and coming together in the aftermath of an unexpected tragedy. The story is told in two distinct halves, first focusing on a promising high school wrestler whose life spirals out of control, and then shifting perspective to his younger sister as the family attempts to heal and move forward.
Details
- Director
- Trey Edward Shults
- Writer
- Trey Edward Shults
- Studio
- A24, Bron Studios, JW Films, Guy Grand Productions
- Released
- 15 November 2019
- Country
- Canada, United States
- Language
- English
- Runtime
- 135 min
- Rated
- R
- Budget
- $6.0M
- Box office
- $2.6M
- Awards
- 12 wins, 27 nominations
This title elsewhere
Cast
Full cast (33) →
Awards & nominations
See all 39 →12 wins from 39 nominations across 18 ceremonies
| Film Independent Spirit Awards 2020 | Best Supporting Female | Taylor Russell | Nominee |
| Austin Film Critics Association 2020 | Best Score | Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross | Nominee |
| Black Reel Awards 2020 | Outstanding Supporting Actor | Sterling K. Brown | Nominee |
| Black Reel Awards 2020 | Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female | Taylor Russell | Nominee |
| Black Reel Awards 2020 | Outstanding Ensemble | Avy Kaufman | Nominee |
| Black Reel Awards 2020 | Outstanding Original Score | Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross | Nominee |
| Black Reel Awards 2020 | Outstanding Cinematography | Drew Daniels | Nominee |
| Black Reel Awards 2020 | Outstanding Motion Picture | Trey Edward Shults, Kevin Turen, and James Wilson | Nominee |
Awards from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
More like this
Beyond the numbers
All lists →
30 October 2026
Why Meryl Streep is the greatest actress of all time
The case rests on comedy, emotional precision, versatility and sustained achievement, tested against the strongest rival claims.
30 October 2026
Denzel Washington is more than an actor: a global Black cultural icon
How global visibility, artistic freedom and a commanding public presence gave his career a meaning that reaches beyond the films.
29 October 2026
TV shows with the best song choices: five different ways to get it right
The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, The O.C., Peaky Blinders and Euphoria: what their songs do beyond making a scene sound good.
9 October 2026
Sitcoms rated highest by Google users: our preserved scores
Twenty-five historical five-star records, with ties and recorded counts retained. An archive of collected responses, not Google's final official chart.
9 October 2026
Highest-rated sitcoms by Metacritic users: scores with the samples attached
Twenty-five stored user scores. Small tallies stay visible, ties stay ties, and the recommendations concern the comedy rather than voter stereotypes.
9 October 2026
Highest-rated sitcoms on Metacritic: the stored critic scores
Twenty-five Metascores from the catalogue, with review counts and a clear distinction between a season, a whole series and an approval percentage.
Just released
See all →
Coming soon
Trailer — Waves
×Full cast — Waves
×
39 awards — Waves
×
Film Independent Spirit Awards
1 nomination
| Best Supporting Female | Taylor Russell | Nominee |
African-American Film Critics Association
3 nominations, 3 won
| Breakout Performance | Kelvin Harrison Jr. | Winner |
| Top 10 Films | Waves | Winner |
| We See You Award | Taylor Russell | Winner |
Hollywood Critics Association
9 nominations, 2 won
| Best Independent Film | Waves | Winner |
| Breakthrough Actor | Kelvin Harrison Jr. | Winner |
| Best Cast | Cast of Waves | Nominee |
| Best Cinematography | Drew Daniels | Nominee |
| Best Picture | Waves | Nominee |
| Best Score | Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross | Nominee |
| Best Supporting Actor | Sterling K. Brown | Nominee |
| Best Supporting Actress | Taylor Russell | Nominee |
| Breakthrough Actor | Taylor Russell | Nominee |
Black Reel Awards
9 nominations, 1 won
| Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male | Kelvin Harrison Jr. | Winner |
| Outstanding Actor | Kelvin Harrison Jr. | Nominee |
| Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female | Taylor Russell | Nominee |
| Outstanding Cinematography | Drew Daniels | Nominee |
| Outstanding Ensemble | Avy Kaufman | Nominee |
| Outstanding Motion Picture | Trey Edward Shults, Kevin Turen, and James Wilson | Nominee |
| Outstanding Original Score | Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross | Nominee |
| Outstanding Supporting Actor | Sterling K. Brown | Nominee |
| Outstanding Supporting Actress | Taylor Russell | Nominee |
Gotham Awards
3 nominations, 1 won
| Breakthrough Actor | Taylor Russell | Winner |
| Audience Award | Waves | Nominee |
| Best Feature | Waves | Nominee |
Hamptons International Film Festival
1 nomination, 1 won
| Zicherman Screenplay Award | Trey Edward Shults & A24 | Winner |
Motion Picture Sound Editors
1 nomination, 1 won
| Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Music Score for Feature Film | Sally Boldt, Trey Edward Shults, Johnnie Burn | Winner |
National Board of Review
1 nomination, 1 won
| Top Films | Waves | Winner |
New York Film Critics Online
1 nomination, 1 won
| Breakthrough Performance | Kelvin Harrison Jr. | Winner |
Santa Barbara International Film Festival
1 nomination, 1 won
| Virtuoso Award | Taylor Russell | Winner |
Georgia Film Critics Association
2 nominations
| Breakthrough Award | Kelvin Harrison Jr. | Nominee |
| Breakthrough Award | Taylor Russell | Nominee |
Austin Film Critics Association
1 nomination
| Best Score | Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross | Nominee |
Casting Society of America
1 nomination
| Studio or Independent – Drama | Avy Kaufman and Mark Mullen | Nominee |
Chicago Film Critics Association
1 nomination
| Most Promising Performer | Taylor Russell | Nominee |
NAACP Image Awards
1 nomination
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | Sterling K. Brown | Nominee |
San Diego Film Critics Society
1 nomination
| Breakthrough Artist | Kelvin Harrison Jr. | Nominee |
Seattle Film Critics Society
1 nomination
| Best Supporting Actress | Taylor Russell | Nominee |
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association
1 nomination
| Best Cinematography | Drew Daniels | Nominee |