Love, loss, and surfing coalesce in first trailer for animated In Waves

Directed by Phuong Mai Nguyen, the story follows young surfing enthusiasts voiced by Will Sharpe (Too Much, The White Lotus) and Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All At Once, Joy Ride) as they fall in love over their surfboards only to be faced with a force even more dangerous than the pounding waves. Based on Dungo’s illustrated reminiscences of his late partner, the film flows in warm washes of color and movement, as pale blue oceans give way to dimly lit hospital rooms. 

The film, originally produced in a French-language version (although always set in SoCal), looks to find a place amidst Netflix’s noisier computer-animated fare. In Waves will get a limited theatrical release on November 27 before hitting the streamer on December 11.