Shape of Water

Isn't this a nice poster?

Plot: In a magical version of the 1960's Elisa (Sally Hawkins), a mute cleaning lady at a defense base meets an amphibious man (Doug Jones) being held captive, and grows to love him. Elisa's friend & fellow cleaner, Zelda (Octavia Spencer) helps interpret Elisa's sign language and covers for her visits to the man. Elisa's room mate is a gay man, Giles (Richard Jenkins), whose career struggles help create the films magical and distopic mood. Villainous military official Richard (Michael Shannon) tramples on everyone trying stay ahead of the Russians and later to foil Elisa. [imdb]    [photos]

Review: It's a magical fantasy delivering romance, sitcom humor, and social satire. It is a creative balance of all three. I like magical fantasy so it was easy for me to like it. While it has a monster and some sci-fi elements, it is not a horror or an action movie.

Symbolically, the creature is The Other, and he represents other Others in mid-20th Century America, from disabled people like mute Elisa, black people like Zelda, gay people like Giles, poor people, and women. The Russian scientist represents those whose search for knowledge is crushed by  bureaucracy.

I liked the performances especially Sally Hawkins, who is so evocative without speaking at all. Villain Michael Shannon is such dramatic, over-heated, morally-challenged striver. He creates so much threat and menace with his face. Octavia Spencer's role was more comic and so her performance was less nuanced.

Despite the obvious morality play, it doesn't feel that way. It feels like an thriller with Michael Shannon's Richard scaring everyone.

Cast: Sally Hawkins, Doug Jones, Richard Jenkins, Michael Shannon, Octavia Spencer

Directed by: Guillermo Del Toro

Written by: Guillermo Del Toro and Vanessa Taylor

The Music: Aquatic orchestral music and lounge music by Alexandre Desplat intercut with show tunes from old movies. Elisa's theme is pretty nice. 

The Visuals: Full of great images including early images of the amphibian man, but less so when he gets into the human world.  The art direction of the science lab is great with sickly colors and menacing metal equipment. The underwater scenes are graceful and artistic. 

Rating: 4.0 stars: Fun to watch in the theater and fun to talk about afterward

 

More: Del Toro says he says: “I wanted to do a movie about an amphibian creature who changes the life of whoever rescues it, in a magical way.”  It is loosely inspired by the Grimm brother's story about a flounder that grants wishes for a fisherman. 

Even More {SPOILER}: One reason sea creature romance worked for me is the Elisa's connection to the sea is foreshadowed early, first she was found on the beach as orphan child, and second is that Elisa has orgasms in the bathtub.



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