The Wave () is a 2025 musical drama film directed by Sebastián Lelio, who co-wrote the screenplay with Manuela Infante, Josefina Fernández and Paloma Salas. The film stars Daniela López, Avril Aurora, Lola Bravo and Paulina Cortés as students involved in a feminist uprising at a Chilean university. Its story was inspired by the 2018 Chilean feminist protests and strikes, particularly the student occupations that took place at universities across the country.

The film follows Julia, a music student who becomes involved in protests against harassment and abuse on campus. As she participates in the movement, she begins to confront memories of a confusing encounter with Max, an assistant to her voice teacher, and eventually becomes a central figure in the protests.

Produced by Fábula in association with Participant and Fremantle, The Wave was Lelio's first feature film shot in Chile since A Fantastic Woman (2017). It premiered in the Cannes Premiere section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on 16 May 2025. It was released theatrically in Chile on 28 August 2025 and in the United States by Wolfe Video on 26 June 2026.

Premise Julia, a music student at a university in Santiago, becomes involved in a growing feminist movement after students begin occupying the campus and protesting harassment and abuse. The movement is expressed through rallies, singing and choreographed performances.

While participating in the campaign, Julia is forced to confront an unresolved memory involving Max, an assistant to her voice teacher. She becomes uncertain about what happened during their encounter and whether she consented. As Julia's testimony becomes public, she is drawn into the center of the movement and its internal disagreements over accountability, protest and institutional responses.

Cast Daniela López as Julia Avril Aurora as Luna Lola Bravo as Rafa Paulina Cortés as Tamara Claudia Cabezas as Julia's mother Néstor Cantillana as Pedro Elvira López as the lawyer Amalia Kassai as Paz Luis Dubó as Don Cantarino Susana Hidalgo as Piedad Lucas Sáez Collins as Max Mariana Loyola as Max's mother Álvaro Espinoza as Max's father Renata González Spralja as Octavia Amparo Noguera as Raquel Tamara Acosta as the secretary Antonia Santa María as the journalist Florencia Berner as Leo Valentina Nassar as Francisca Germán Pinilla as Alejo Roberto Villena as a student

The four principal actresses—López, Aurora, Bravo and Cortés—made their feature-film debuts in The Wave.

Production

Development Lelio conceived the film after seeing photographs of the feminist student mobilizations that took place in Chile in 2018. He subsequently developed the screenplay with Infante, Fernández and Salas over a period of five years. Lelio said that he deliberately worked with a predominantly female creative team in developing the project.

The film was produced by Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín, Rocío Jadue and Lelio for Fábula. Participant and Fremantle co-financed the production.

Filming Principal photography took place in Santiago, Chile, over nine weeks during the summer of 2024 and was completed in April. Locations included the Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral, the Instituto Nacional, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Archivo Nacional and the Santiago Metro.

The production was designed as a large-scale musical. More than 1,200 people auditioned for the project, while some sequences involved more than 250 performers. The production established a three-month training program in acting, singing and movement before filming began.

López was selected to play Julia while she was still studying theater. The film also brought established Chilean actors into supporting roles alongside its four newcomers.

Music The film's music was composed by British musician Matthew Herbert in collaboration with 17 Chilean female musicians. Among the contributors were Ana Tijoux, Camila Moreno, Javiera Parra, Evelyn Cornejo, Niña Tormenta, Chini.png and Natalia Contesse.

The songs were written and composed collaboratively by Herbert, the screenwriters and the participating musicians, with the cast performing the songs in the film. The musical numbers were choreographed by Ryan Heffington, whose previous work included the television series Euphoria and films including Baby Driver and Tick, Tick... Boom!.

An album containing the film's original songs was released by Accidental Editions on 28 August 2025.

Release The Wave premiered in the Cannes Premiere section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on 16 May 2025. It was also among the films considered for the Queer Palm at the festival.

The film was released theatrically in Chile on 28 August 2025. It subsequently became available on Netflix in Chile on 13 November 2025.

In December 2025, Wolfe Video acquired the North American distribution rights and announced plans for a 2026 theatrical release. The US theatrical release began on 26 June 2026, opening in a Los Angeles theater before expanding to additional markets.

Accolades The film was nominated for the Queer Palm at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. It was also one of ten films competing for the ICFT–UNESCO Gandhi Medal at the 56th International Film Festival of India in November 2025; the medal was ultimately awarded to Safe House by Eirik Svensson.

In Spain, The Wave was nominated for Best Latin American Film at the 31st José María Forqué Awards in 2025.

Reception At the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, the film received mixed reviews from international critics. Screen International described it as an ambitious attempt to translate the 2018 protests into a musical, while criticizing aspects of its tone and narrative structure. Guy Lodge of Variety praised the film's staging and choreography but argued that its more than two-hour running time contributed to repetitive rhetoric and limited dramatic development.

Later reviews likewise differed in their assessments of the film's mixture of political drama and musical spectacle. The Hollywood Reporter highlighted its visual and musical elements while finding the narrative less developed, whereas The Playlist described it as uneven but praised its willingness to experiment with form.

As of October 2026, The Wave has a score of 52 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on five critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

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