Between Two Waves is a mind-bending sci-fi feature film that eventually deals with space/time theories. However, the film works so well because it’s grounded in human drama and relationships, specifically between twins left to deal with their deceased mother’s estate. This is a well-scripted feature that grounds itself in characterization.
Directed by Courtney Sposato and Mark Sposato, the film stars Dave Coleman as Tate and Koko Marshall as his twin sister Cass. The siblings aren’t exactly super close anymore, but they’re forced to reunite to deal with their mother’s estate. This causes them to confront their past and unravel family secrets. Meanwhile, Cass is haunted by visions of her mother, and it’s revealed later why she continually sees her mom on another plane, so to speak. Though the film’s last act does deal with some space and time theories, it’s kept rather simple and uncomplicated. Yet, it presents the idea that the house exists out of time, so to speak. It’s part of the reason why Cass continually sees and speaks to her mother, though it’s unclear if her mother has malicious intent or not. Both Tate and Cass discuss how verbally abusive their mother could be while alive.
Though the film has supernatural and sci-fi elements, its strengths lie in the human drama, including the tense relationship between the siblings. Tate is a successful app developer, while Cass is unemployed and still haunted by some of her childhood memories, including a mysterious figured called the banshee. Throughout a lot of the film, Tate isn’t a believer in the supernatural and even mocks Cass’ friend Mara (Mara Beier), who’s referred to as a psychic at one point and certainly senses a strange energy in the house the first time that she visits the siblings.
Yet, there’s a sequence near the midpoint in the movie where Tate and Cass bond, even attending an amusement park, and it’s one of the best moments in the film. It reveals a heck of a lot about the siblings’ childhood. Beyond that, it also shows that, despite some of their differences and arguments, they still have affection for each other.
The last act, which does explain why Cass continually sees her mother, feels a bit rushed. It also injects another character into the mix, Mrs. Jarecki (Mary Looram), who was friends with the siblings’ mother and also a teacher who had the siblings in class years ago. However, she seems little more than a plot device to explain what’s going on with the house and why Cass continually has such strange visions. It feels like Mrs. Jarecki only enters the narrative out of plot convivence, though the dialogue between Tate and his former teacher is quite funny.
Overall, Between Two Waves is a strong indie feature that elevates characterization and the complicated history between twins. Though the film’s last act specially leans into sci-fi elements, it keeps the sibling relationship and human drama front and center. There’s an emotional and well-developed story at the heart of this indie gem.
