Always Good Movies

Direction: Trey Edward Shults
Country: USA

Trey Edward Shults surprised the world with his debut feature Krisha (2015), an achingly intense family drama that deserved all the acclaim it got. With his sophomore picture, It Comes at Night (2017), he stepped into the apocalyptic horror genre with positive assurance. In his newest work, Waves, he returns to the complex family topic, setting the mood with abundant dramatic flair. Deeply focused on relationships, this ruin-and-rebuild tale amasses death, guilt, forgiveness, and hope with variable depth. Set in Miami, the story centers on a middle-class African-American family that will have to overcome the tragic consequences of an involuntary murder.

Tyler (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) is a high school senior who is deeply committed to pursue a career in wrestling, but is advised by his doctor to stop any physical activity due to a serious, possibly irreversible problem in his shoulder. His domineering father, Ronald (Sterling K. Brown), is the one who trains him with an unhealthy competitive posture. He’s married to Catherine (Renée Elise Goldsberry), who, not being Tyler’s biological mother, raised him as her own child. And then there’s the sensitive Emily (Taylor Russell), the younger daughter of the couple. Frustrated with the impossibility to compete, Tyler sees his life spiraling into chaos after his pregnant girlfriend, Alexis (Alexa Demie), breaks up with him.

At the end of this first narrative segment, Shults dangerously embraces sentimentality, playing the scenes of a new chapter (involving Emily and her boyfriend) a bit too tight while stretching the roller coaster of emotions. With all its faults, Waves still provides incredible moments capable of freezing us in our chairs and pushing us into a hypnotic state. The ensemble cast does a wonderful job, and I see them as real champions whenever the script wibbles and wobbles. The score by Nine Inch Nails’ members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is outstanding, while the varied soundtrack includes songs from Tame Impala, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, and Radiohead, among others.

Waves doesn't work in its entirety, but when it connects, it’s powerful and uncomfortable.

Directed by Trey Edward Shults
Country: USA

“It Comes at Night” is a somber dystopian thriller expeditiously written and directed by Trey Edward Shults, an emerging young director who already gave us “Krisha”, one of the most touching, personal, and rawest dramas released last year.

In his new mind-boggling creation, the world population faces a devastating, mysterious outbreak. We are only able to conclude that something silent and contagious makes people slowly rot to death, so everyone is a suspect and you can’t be too careful when a stranger is around.

Wearing breathing masks, the former teacher Paul (Joel Edgerton), his wife Sarah (Carmen Ejogo), and their teen son Travis (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), unanimously decided to put an end to the suffering days of Sara’s father, who was caught by the bug. The act was as much blunt as emotional, but absolutely necessary to guarantee their safety.

They own a secluded property in the woods that seems to protect them from the outside dangers. A certain day, a stranger called Will (Christopher Abbott) attempts to invade the house, thinking it was empty. Paul knocks him out, ties him to a tree, and later starts questioning him, trying to figure out what his real intentions are. The man discloses he has a wife, Kim (Riley Keough), and a little son named Edward (Griffin Robert Faulkner), who are both waiting for him 50 miles away with plenty of food but no water supply, a situation that forced him to scavenge for the precious liquid.

After verifying the veracity of the man’s story, Paul and his family give their consent for Will to bring his family and live with them under the compliance of some strict safety rules.
Despite all the cautions, the invisible enemy lurks at every corner, ready to take man or animal that crosses his path. Travis, frequently assaulted by creepy nightmares at night, is the one who wanders all over the house, seeing what nobody else can see.

Without being scary in the real sense of the word, the film is still able to surprise you and never falls in boredom or convention. It becomes inevitable to ponder what would you do if it was you and your family facing a critical situation such as the one depicted.

The camera stealthily plunges in arresting scenarios, moving patiently between dark rooms and halls, and building suspenseful moments with the help of Brian McOmber’s decorous yet penetrating score.

You won't be given revelations about the enigma or bloody horror scenes. In truth, Shults focuses exclusively on the characters and puts the profound silence of the woods working together with the haunting idea of an abominable contamination that can entrap you and the ones you love the most. Hence, expect a light horror film but a heavy, psychological, dark chamber tale.