What do you get when you cross a Terrance Malik film with an episode from HBO’s Euphoria? Fortunately, for moviegoers, you get the best of both worlds.

“Waves,” the latest outing by Trey Edward Shults (“Krisha,” “It Comes at Night”), is both an intense thrill ride that crackles with teenage angst and a quiet, visual feast.

Unstoppable waves

With foot fully on pedal, the movie begins with a disorienting 360-degree shot that swirls for what seems like minutes around Tyler (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and Alexis (Alexa Demie) as they cruise carefree down a Florida causeway. With the camera’s frenetic energy and a pulsing soundtrack, it’s hard not to be immediately sucked into these teens’ lives.

It’s their senior year and Tyler and Alexis seem to be on a well-worn trajectory. Tyler is a star on the school wrestling team, while Alexis is a popular cheerleader. They both appear to have loving and supportive families – marriage is likely not far off.  It all looks like a storybook existence.

But, as you probably guessed, the cracks begin to show. Tyler starts to slowly unravel when his wrestling ambitions take an unexpected turn. Alexis has news that furthers Tyler’s descent. There are pills, there is booze and there are angry texts. All lead to a crushing blow that will alter the lives of these two young people, and their families, forever.

With his parents all but given up hope, Tyler’s younger sister, Emily (Taylor Russell), is left alone to make sense of it all. Ignored at home and shunned at school, Emily survives day-to-day with a detached existence – until a chance encounter with classmate Luke (Lucas Hedges). A somewhat halting, yet earnest presence, Luke brings some needed levity into Emily’s life, even as they embark on a road trip to visit his dying father.

The storyline may not tread any new ground, but Shults is in top form and he propels this movie forward with an undeniable urgency. The camera moves at an unrelenting pace. The music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross ratchets up the tension. The scenes, meticulously framed, are drenched in saturated hues of red and blue.

Under the influence

Although the work is semi-autobiographical, other artistic influences immediately jump out. Shults, early in his career, worked on three Terrence Malick films. The epic, sweeping shots with the story’s contemplative arc (especially during the second half of the film) give this film an overall Malick-esque quality.

“Waves” cinematographer, Drew Daniels, also shot a couple of Euphoria episodes. So, the slo-mo shots of spirited teens peddling bikes down bucolic streets should not be lost on fans of Euphoria. Regular watchers of the HBO mini-series will also recognize actor Alexa Demie (Alexis), as Maddy Perez on Euphoria.

Influences aside, “Waves” stands on its own. Reflecting on life and death, Shults serves up familiar themes with a renewed intensity, while finding the quiet moments of compassion and hope in this epic, yet tragic story.

“Waves” screens in Seattle starting November 26 at SIFF Cinema Egyptian and AMC Seattle 10.