A24 “Waves” brought humor, shock during student screening

Over 230 students gathered in Shemin Auditorium in Shaffer Art Building last night for an advanced screening of the new A24 film, “Waves.” The new movie is scheduled on limited release on Nov. 15. 

Directed by Trey Edward Shults, “Waves” follows a suburban African-American family navigating the trials and tribulations of love, forgiveness, and unity following a loss. The film stars Taylor Russell, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Alexa Demie.

The advanced screening was hosted by the Syracuse Film Society in collaboration with the A24 at Syracuse partnership that was implemented for the 2019-2020 school year. “Waves” marked the last film in a series of screenings that occurred all semester.

Alexander Smithline, who is the co-president of the film society and the student representative and on-campus marketing and PR intern for A24, said it was great to see SU students and cinephiles alike fill the auditorium.

The screening began soon after 8:30pm and lasted two and a half hours. The film was met with various reactions from the audience, as some scenes elicited laughs while others received gasps.

Following “Waves,” SU film professor Soudabeh Moradian led a 15-minute discussion with a handful of students who stayed behind. Students shared their thoughts on the movie regarding its salient themes, cinematography, and score produced by Atticus Ross.

Moradian said she admires how the screenings provide an opportunity for students to get together and watch films that resonate with them. She said “Waves” has a lot of aspects similar to students’ ages and teenage lives.

The Syracuse Film Society will be concluding the semester with their bi-annual film showcase on Dec. 11. Film, animation, and video art students are encouraged to submit their work by Dec. 1.

Smithline and the film society are planning to continue the film screenings in the spring semester. They have a whole new selection of films that students will be able to vote to determine the lineup. 

“It was such a cool feeling to see a movie that no one’s ever seen before,” Smithline said. “See it, live it, and laugh through it before anyone else. I just enjoyed coming together.”