Exclusive look: Netflix previews its bittersweet animated romance 'In Waves'
Netflix is sharing an exclusive look at an animated romance with plenty of heart—one with a name you’ll want to remember.
The new exclusive clip for In Waves skips fireworks for a quiet late-night gesture: AJ, a shy skateboarder, shows up at Kristen’s house simply because he wants to see her. It ’s a tender beat that plays like real teenage life, and it sets the tone for a romance that’s about small moments as much as big feelings. The footage, shared by DiscussingFilm on X, also doubles as a first look at the film ’s intimate visual language.
Director Phuong Mai Nguyen draws directly from AJ Dungo’s graphic memoir with sepia-tinted, hand-drawn 2D line work, then layers in modern 3D tools to give the ocean weight and movement. The water itself shifts from glassy calm to churning walls of blue, while carefully researched Pacific Coast details — Los Angeles neighborhoods, beaches, and skate parks — make the world feel lived-in and specific.
The team behind it
- Director — Phuong Mai Nguyen (feature debut; previously directed the animated project Brazen; Gobelins alum)
- Source material — AJ Dungo’s autobiographical graphic memoir
- Screenplay — Fanny Burdino and Samuel Doux
- Producers — Priscilla Bertin and Judith Nora (Silex Films); Nick Shumaker (Anonymous Content)
- Music — Rob and Oklou, shaping the film’s electronic-leaning score
Based on Dungo’s true story, the film follows AJ as Kristen pulls him into surf culture and the ocean’s pull, only for a life-threatening illness to upend their future. The movie has already drawn attention on the festival circuit, including Cannes, and is headed to Netflix for its streaming debut.
An exclusive clip of In Waves is out now via DiscussingFilm.
Netflix hasn’t shared when the feature will hit the service, but this first look hints at a tearjerker built from quiet gestures, sun-faded coastal backdrops, and waves that speak louder than words.