Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Former Navy SEALS confront violence, trauma in intense docu.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
In Waves and War
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
IN WAVES AND WAR interviews multiple former Navy SEALS as they describe the trauma they experienced in combat in the Middle East. They've brought unresolved physical injuries and emotional post-traumatic stress home with them, impacting their wives and families. One wife reads online about an experimental psychedelic drug therapy in Mexico, and she convinces her husband to try it. The cameras follow him before, during, and after, when he finds his overall health greatly improved and embarks on a mission to get other veterans similar treatment.
Is It Any Good?
This engrossing documentary raises questions about the military, the forever wars, our care for veterans, and experimental drug therapies. One particularly provocative question a military veteran asks in In Waves and War is whether there would even be a military at all if so many boys didn't experience childhood trauma. It's an aggressive inquiry that could only legitimately be asked by the men profiled in this film. They've put in their time, securing a spot through notoriously strenuous training in the elite Navy SEALS and serving many years of back-to-back deployments in the Middle East.
To see them before and after participating in an experimental drug therapy program in Mexico is convincing testimony indeed. Their bravery in confronting their trauma and sharing their heartrending stories on film must surely match their bravery in battle. The film takes an interesting approach to visualizing their drug experiences (and some wartime skirmishes) through animation. Though there's a good chunk of the film that's talking heads, their stories and the journeys they take warrant and hold your attention.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the experimental psychedelic drug therapy depicted in In Waves and War. Do you believe it has healing properties? Do you think it should be approved for use in the United States? Where could you go to find more information about it?
How do the traumas of war impact soldiers and their families even long after they've left the battlefield? Were you surprised by the statistics comparing combat deaths and suicides? Is there a way you could help in your local community?
What did you think of the way the men's hallucinations were depicted? Could you think of a different way they could have been explained visually?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : November 3, 2025
- Cast : Marcus Capone , DJ Shipley , Matt Roberts
- Directors : Bonni Cohen , Jon Shenk
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : Activism , Friendship , History
- Character Strengths : Perseverance , Teamwork
- Run time : 108 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : November 4, 2025
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