Overview
- In Waves, directed by Phuong Mai Nguyen, opened Critics’ Week at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday to praise for its animation and more guarded notes on its story.
- Critics single out the film’s expressive, hand-drawn style and water imagery, which Nguyen says the team created without using AI.
- Reviewers describe a tender teenage romance shaped by illness, with several calling the narrative beats familiar even as the emotions land.
- The film intercuts present-day scenes with black-and-white vignettes on surfing’s Hawaiian roots, echoing AJ Dungo’s 2019 graphic memoir.
- The English voice cast features Will Sharpe as AJ and Stephanie Hsu as Kristen, and the film is still seeking U.S. distribution with Charades handling sales.