There are movies about love, and there are movies that understand what it means to carry love with you even after life changes everything.

In Waves is the latter.

Director Phuong Mai Nguyen’s beautiful feature debut, adapted from AJ Dungo’s autobiographical graphic novel, swept me away with its story of first love, devastating loss, memory and resilience. And yes, I cried. More than once.

Set against the sun-drenched surf culture of Southern California, In Waves follows AJ, a shy teenager who loves drawing and skateboarding, and Kristen, the adventurous surfer who introduces him to an entirely different world — including the ocean he initially fears. Their romance blossoms, but their imagined future changes when Kristen faces a life-threatening illness. Netflix

The English-language version features Will Sharpe as AJ and Stephanie Hsu as Kristen, and I had the chance to talk with both of them — as well as the two people responsible for bringing this deeply personal story from page to screen: Dungo and Nguyen.

AJ Drew His Memories. Phuong Mai Made Them Move.

There’s something extraordinary about sitting across from an artist whose most painful memories have suddenly become a movie.

That’s essentially what happened to AJ Dungo.

His acclaimed graphic memoir transformed his relationship with Kristen, his grief and their shared connection to surfing into art. Then Nguyen faced an enormous creative challenge: How do you adapt something so personal without simply making the graphic novel move?

That became one of the things I most wanted to discuss with them.

Watch my full interview with IN WAVES director Phuong Mai Nguyen and graphic novel author/illustrator AJ Dungo.

Nguyen didn’t merely imitate Dungo’s drawings. She created a cinematic visual language capable of honoring his work while becoming something of its own.

The result mixes the vibrant colors of contemporary Southern California with AJ’s drawings and more impressionistic imagery connected to the ocean and surfing’s history. Nguyen has described the water itself as an important storytelling element — an especially fascinating challenge for a director making her feature debut. CAFilm

I asked AJ what it was like surrendering something this personal to another artist.

Because this isn’t just intellectual property.

It’s his life. It’s Kristen. It’s memory.

And there was one question I especially wanted to ask him: If Kristen could see In Waves today, what does he hope would make her smile?

That’s when a conversation about filmmaking becomes something much more human.

And on a personal note, this fellow Filipino was thrilled hearing Tagalog in the film. 🇵🇭

Stephanie Hsu and Will Sharpe Made Me Cry

Then came my conversation with Stephanie Hsu and Will Sharpe.

Hsu voices Kristen, while Sharpe becomes the animated AJ. Their job is deceptively difficult because the film asks them to create intimacy, humor and heartbreak primarily through their voices while animators construct the physical performances around them.

Stephanie Hsu and Will Sharpe talk love, loss and bringing Kristen and AJ to life in IN WAVES.

And the emotional connection works.

Hsu gives Kristen warmth and vitality without reducing her to the tragedy that eventually enters her life. Sharpe gives AJ a vulnerability that allows us to understand why drawing becomes more than artistic expression for him. It becomes a way of remembering.

Their relationship is the heartbeat of the movie.

And perhaps that’s why In Waves affected me so deeply. Beneath the surfing, the gorgeous animation and the romance is a simple question:

What do we do with all the love that remains when someone is gone?

AJ turned his into drawings.

Those drawings became a book.

And now those memories move.

The Waves That Break Us Can Carry Us Forward

There’s an obvious metaphor running throughout In Waves, but Nguyen never needs to scream it at us.

The ocean gives. The ocean takes. Waves knock us down, disappear and inevitably return.

So does grief.

And so does love.

That idea connects all four people I interviewed: Dungo, who lived the story; Nguyen, who reimagined it through animation; Sharpe, who gives AJ his voice; and Hsu, who helps make Kristen feel alive beyond the page.

The movie had its world premiere as the opening film of Cannes Critics’ Week in May and subsequently played festivals including Toronto. Netflix acquired the film and will release In Waves globally on December 11, 2026. Netflix

Bring tissues.

Because In Waves may break your heart a little.

But maybe that’s the point.

The waves that break you can also be the ones that carry you forward.

So ride the waves. 🌊