Very few films at this year’s Seattle International Film Festival truly took my breath away, as most landed squarely in the middle of the pack. However, one film that managed to break through and exceed my expectations was Jiří Mádl’s Waves. Selected as the Czech entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards, Waves has already broken records in its home country, where it became the highest grossing Czech film of 2024 and the 2nd highest-grossing Czech film of all time.
Set in the late 1960s, the film follows a group of journalists working at Czechoslovak Radio in Prague during the Warsaw Pact invasion, as they push back against censorship and continue telling the truth to the public. One of them is radio technician Tomas (Vojtech Vodochodsky), an ordinary man who finds himself unexpectedly drawn into the heart of the resistance. He witnesses the state-enforced censorship and intimidation tactics used by the Soviet regime, and the ways in which the journalists push back against them. But when he is blackmailed into becoming an informant for the secret police, Tomas must navigate a delicate balance between standing up for the truth and protecting his younger brother, Pavel (Ondrej Stupka), from being sent to a Soviet death camp.
Waves unfolds like a gripping political spy thriller, a pressure cooker of rising tension set against the backdrop of a country on the brink of war. As the situation in Czechoslovakia grows more dire, government raids become more frequent, surveillance tightens to an unnerving degree, and the Warsaw Pact army looms just outside the city like a storm waiting to break. The film burns through its narrative with urgency, keeping you locked in and on the edge of your seat, eager to see what turn it will take next.
While the story itself follows a familiar arc of resistance against authoritarian control, director Filip Malásek injects it with a sharp sense of immediacy. His tight editing, paired with a pulse-pounding score, gives the film a constant sense of forward motion, making it feel anything but stale. What elevates Waves even further is the weight of moral conviction that hangs over every frame. You feel the burden these journalists carry, the stakes they face, and the courage it takes to keep pushing back. They are not just telling the truth, but they are risking everything to make sure it is heard.
Anchored by a standout ensemble cast, Waves delivers a compelling and stylish period drama about the courage it takes to resist tyranny and authoritarian rule. With its sharp direction and strong sense of atmosphere, the film resonates far beyond its historical setting, striking a timely chord with today’s political climate. It’s the kind of film that feels both urgent and enduring. A must-watch for anyone drawn to stories of resistance and moral conviction. Had Waves been submitted to the fall festival circuit, there’s little doubt it would have made a strong impression and found the acclaim it deserves.
My Rating: A-
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