This may be a completely different review than is normal for me, because some fourteen hours after seeing Sebastian Lelio's new film, “The Wave”, I still do not know what to make of it or how I really feel about it. I cannot remember a time before when a film has me so confused to the point that I do not know if I love it or hate it, so we are going to use this review to try and unpack my feelings on “The Wave” and see if I can finally come to some conclusion about it. One thing is for certain though, Sebastian Lelio is such a gifted director, and he has gone all out here for this musical about female rebellion and protest in Chile, I'm just not sure though if he has been successful with it.
I guess I will start with some of the positives I found “The Wave” to have, and first up is it opens and closes with very powerful scenes. The film initially begins with Julia in music class preparing her voice for her exam which is in a few weeks time. It isn't long before a commotion is heard outside of the classroom, before all of the girls in the class rush to join the demonstration that is being put on in the courtyard of the university. There the girls unfurl a massive banner claiming that the university protects rapists before beginning a mesmerising and very aggressive dance, denouncing the constant sexual harassment and assault that they are victims to, which the university officials do nothing about. The dance is long, the dance is loud, the dance is very, very powerful and acts almost like an anthem for the girls. I defy anyone not to feel pumped during this scene and feel for the girls and their plight for recognition and action. The staging of this dance sequence is sensational as Lelio and cinematographer Benjamin Echazarreta get their camera right in amongst the girls to capture the energy and ferocity head on. It is full of colour, and the camera swoops and glides amongst the dancers, giving “The Wave” a very impressive opening indeed. I should mention that there is a small prologue sequence before this and the opening credits that sees Julia enter behind a locked door with a male friend where, what happens behind these doors, becomes hugely relevant to the rest of the film, although we are never privy to the exact details. I guess I cannot really talk about the end of “The Wave” and what makes it so powerful, but I will say that it is almost at the opposite end of the spectrum of the beginning, when the girls wonder if it was all worth it? Was it worth the effort? Is change ever going to occur in their country? Whilst the heads of government and institutions are all saying the right things, will this change really filter through in a country that is so reticent to change. I actually found the ending really heartbreaking and depressing, although I felt it reflected a truth, sadly. One thing that is important is in the final image of the film, of the four girls hugging each other, representing that they would be there for each other and look out for one another always; female solidarity forever.
Whilst this demonstration makes an impact, it doesn't create change, and the girls decide to create their own committees to take down testimonials of women who have been abused or harassed by men on campus. Julia finds herself on this testimonial committee, taking down horror story after horror story of women's abuse. She is immediately disturbed when names of men she thought she could trust are revealed, but she still cannot bring herself to add her own experience (what happened behind that door in the opening prologue) to the testimonials she is taking. During these scenes, music is totally absent from the film, and it plays like a straight drama, except when Julia looks at men in a room or authority figures, as they break out in a ridiculously shot and choreographed dance, as if mocking the girl. It isn't until Julia finds her voice (and she isn't just using it to sing anymore) and tells her truth, that “The Wave” becomes a full-blown musical; it suddenly becomes a call to arms, with singing and dancing until the very end.
I have to say that Sebastian Lelio must have balls of steel to not only want to make a film about the “occupy” movement that took place in universities in Chile in 2018, but to then say that he wants to make it into a musical......honestly, that has to be a tough sell. But credit to him, he has backed himself in 110% and does not go into “The Wave” half-arsed. If he is going to fail, it is on his terms, and you have to respect that. What I do not know though is if by making his film into a musical, will he get his points across as well as he could have if he told this story as a straight drama, because I believe this is a very important topic, and he makes so many great points in “The Wave”, but I am just worried the message will be lost via the means he makes these points which is via song and dance.
As I have said, there are a lot of interesting points made in “The Wave”, such as the fact that Julia wants to be a part of the movement, but has no real urge to voice her own abuse due to how confused she is herself about the experience. It is revealed that she initiated some of the sexual contact between her and her friend Max, and even enjoyed it, but it was when she fell asleep on his bed, that he took advantage of her (because she had no way to give consent). She questions herself over whether she is to blame due to the fact that she initiated things in the first place, and this confusion is heightened when she finally goes to the authorities to report it and is essentially shamed and blamed for her part in it. It is clear that Lelio and the women of the film feels that this is the way their country handles sexual abuse, by never protecting it's victims but rather shaming them and condemning them. There is an interesting line in one of the songs where the girl's sing “this ain't no Me Too, this is South America, where our institutions never protect us”, which shows how they feel all alone when it comes to these matters. Again, when Julia meets with the police, they break out into these weird dance moves, surrounding her and getting in her face, and the facial expressions and dance borders on the grotesque, as they are essentially mocking Julia and her complaints or cry for help are ultimately being trivialised.
One aspect of “The Wave” that you may find surprising is that it is not entirely one-sided, as it does look also at the right these men, who have been accused, have to defend themselves. Whilst I admit that it is skewed towards the plight of the women, Lelio does make the point that it isn't always so black and white, and without truly being there or without evidence, it does make it hard to know what exactly happened. Granted the point of this, I'm sure, is the fact that we need to believe the victims first, rather than just assuming it's in their head or just a misunderstanding, but it leads to a very funny and meta moment in the film, when the girls determine that to know the truth they should look at the script, because surely the truth is in that. They turn towards the filmmakers, as the camera moves back exposing the dolly-track below. They then demand to know the truth but Sebastian Lelio himself comes forward to explain that the truth is not in the script. When the girls ask who he is and he explains that he is the film's director, they are outraged and scream “why the fuck is a man directing this film?!!!!”. It is a hilarious moment, and a nice nod by Lelio to explain he understands the irony of a man directing a film about female empowerment and rebellion. He tries to explain how it is an honour to represent women in telling their stories, but they drown him out with song and dance, and the film goes on like normal.
Another thing that “The Wave” looks at is the actual machinations of organising a political protest and how all encompassing and time consuming it is on the people involved. Julia has no interest in becoming the figurehead of this movement, but when she finally comes forward with her story of abuse, this is exactly what happens. She is suddenly attacked from all angles and this is reflected in the dances towards the end and they way they are shot, with the dancers always coming head on towards Julia at pace, or the opposing factions essentially having dance-offs side-by-side to each other. The film also looks at how dangerous it is when everyone is not on the same page, and how destructive it can be towards the movement, when a single person attempts to get glory for themselves via talking to the media etc. It is very interesting stuff, and not the norm you find in a musical which are usually so fun and fluffy.
It is starting to become apparent to me that I actually loved “The Wave”, particularly by the way my body is reacting while I am writing about it. There is an excitement within me, and a need to watch it again, as I am reliving scenes in my mind. So what didn't I like about “The Wave” then? I must admit when watching the film I really hated those silly, grotesque dances involving authority figures and men (the perpetrators of the crimes in question), which I have spoken about already. I understood their function, but thought it was the wrong way about making this point. I felt it trivialised the matter, and wouldn't hold any weight on the viewer, but the fact that they are still so front and centre in my mind, seems to show that I was wrong about their worth. These dances intensify as the film nears its end, and I think they work much better then, but I am not sure it will connect with all audiences. The other main problem I had with the film is the strange, surreal touches that Lelio added to his film. Things where Julia tears away walls to end up in other locations or the exploding bubble gum, seem to be just a little too weird, and hold no real purpose in the film. Other than that I am realising I have less and less negatives towards the film than I initially thought.
The film making on display though, as I have alluded to already, is simply sensational. It takes a brave director to tackle a story like this, the way Sebastian Lelio has, and I have to tip my hat to him because “The Wave” is gorgeous to look, is catchy as anything, and the dancing is so energetic that I was exhausted just watching it. I am not privy to how many takes Lelio needed to film each dance sequence, but you assume it would be a fair few, not least due to the complex camera moves between the dancers themselves, but the ferocity with which each dance is attacked by the performers is just something else entirely.
Overall, I have come to the conclusion that I actually loved Sebastian Lelio's “The Wave”. It is an angry indictment on the treatment of women and victims of sexual abuse in his country of Chile, told in a hyper-realistic and very energetic musical. It looks amazing, pops with colour, filled with very impressive choreographed dance sequences, and most important of all, has something genuine and real to say. While I have now determined that I loved the film, I have to be honest and say that I am not sure it will find a huge audience, simply because of how different and unique “The Wave” actually is to anything else out there today. One thing is for certain though, after writing this review, I cannot wait to see it again and urge everyone else to at least give it a chance.
4 Stars.
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