The Wave (2019)

The Wave: Directed by Gille Klabin. With Justin Long, Tommy Flanagan, Donald Faison, Katia Winter. An insurance lawyer goes out on the town to celebrate an upcoming promotion with his co-worker, Jeff. But their night takes a bizarre turn when Frank ingests a hallucinogen that completely alters his perception of the world.

“The Wave turned out to be visually superior and far better in storytelling than most stoner thrillers out there. Justin Longu0026#39;s the perfect choice to play Frank, a white-collar employee whou0026#39;s out for a night of merry-making with his colleague Jeff (Donald Faison). They meet Natalie (Katia Winter) and Theresa (Sheila Vand) at a bar and decide to head to a rave party. A drug he consumes at the party sends him on an unending trip that bends the concept of time (and eventually, decisions). The storyline gets a little convoluted in the latter half with several twists, but the screenplay (by Carl W. Lucas) wraps it up quite neatly in the end.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe u0026#39;drug tripu0026#39; for Frank begins with intermittent hallucinatory episodes, making you think this is yet another film that holds a warning sign for people to never do drugs. However, it focuses more on its psychedelic visuals, a missing-person storyline (I think Iu0026#39;m in love with Sheila Vand!), and some not-bad humor along the way. On the downside, the subplots involving Franku0026#39;s promotion (the evil insurance company cliché) and his wife walking out on him donu0026#39;t carry the narrative weights they should. These incidents, while pivotal to the main plot (of Frank, Jeff, and Natalie searching for the missing Theresa), somehow feel less consequential.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhen you look at the complete picture, I felt The Wave tries to incorporate too much into its 90-minute runtime and succeeds in parts. That said, the amusement factor was certainly on the higher side for me.”