Short answer
In short: Waves ends on forgiveness. Emily admits to her father that she resents Tyler and feels guilty, they reconcile, and the last image is Emily riding her bike with her arms out. The aspect ratio opens back to the 1.85 frame the film began in, and the final songs are Radiohead’s True Love Waits and Alabama Shakes’ Sound & Color.
What happens at the end
Spoilers The last act, scene by scene
Luke reconciles with his dying father, who dies a short time later. Back home, Emily admits her guilt and her resentment toward Tyler to her father, Ronald, and the two reconcile. The film ends with Emily riding her bike down an empty street and lifting her arms from the handlebars (Wikipedia).
Three things the ending is doing
Spoilers 1. Forgiveness, not punishment
Tyler’s half ends in a sentence; Emily’s ends in a conversation. In his notes on the score cue Leaving Missouri, Shults ties death to forgiveness, as Emily works toward forgiving her brother and herself (A24 playlist notes).
Spoilers 2. The frame opens back out
Tyler’s half closes in from 1.85 to wide frames and finally to a boxy 1.33. Emily’s half starts at 1.33, widens, and returns to 1.85 at the end, the shape the film opened in (ASC interview). The picture literally gives her room. See the aspect ratio guide.
Spoilers 3. The parents get the last word in music
Shults says Radiohead’s True Love Waits marks the shift away from Emily to the parents’ grief, and Sound & Color ends the film on hope as Emily moves toward healing (A24). The bike shot mirrors Tyler’s earlier moments of release, without the speed or the danger.
Why it splits in two
Many viewers expect Tyler to stay the lead. Shults hands the film to Emily so the story can ask what a family does after a tragedy, not only how one happens. For the director’s own link to the story, read is Waves a true story?; for the themes in full, Waves themes.
Questions people ask
Does Tyler get out of prison in Waves?
No. He pleads guilty and is sentenced to life for second degree murder, with parole eligibility after thirty years.
What is the last song in Waves?
Sound & Color by Alabama Shakes, right after Radiohead’s True Love Waits, per A24’s annotated playlist.
Why does Luke’s father matter?
His story mirrors the Williams family: an estranged son who chooses to forgive. Shults notes that the score cue Leaving Missouri ties death to forgiveness, as Emily works toward forgiving her brother and herself.
Sources
Last reviewed October 29, 2026. Streaming catalogs and listings change; check the service before you pay.