The Shape of Water (2017)

Weird, quirky movies are my jam sometimes. There’s something about them that just get to me. Maybe it’s because I find them to have a little extra creativity required, or maybe it’s because I identify with their outlying nature compared to the mainstream – whatever it is, I like them.

Guillermo del Toro’s latest, The Shape of Water, definitely falls into that category. It’s got a fish man, a mute woman, and a romance between the two. As if that weren’t enough, the film also takes place during the Cold War, a setting that amplifies its themes quite a bit. Basically, it is the definition of strange, and it’s also an incredibly rich theatrical experience.

I’m not terribly familiar with del Toro’s previous work (I’ve watched maybe a third of Crimson Peak), but I feel like that doesn’t disqualify me for being absolutely enthralled with his direction of this film. Every visual aspect of this fits together marvelously, especially the set and creature design and the color palette. There’s a very greenish hue to the entire film that both shows some of the drabness of the setting while at other times playing on the film’s watery creature; the cinematography steers into this, playing on those colors to highlight both the dullness and beauty of the setting. The creature itself, dubbed “Amphibian Man,” is one of the most beautiful creatures I have ever seen in film; the design and acting by Doug Jones inside the suit make his story so human and real, even though it is definitely fantastical. Everything about the film shows that del Toro embraced the creative freedom he was given to make the film he had in his heart, and the passion he poured into this project leaps off the screen marvelously.

The performances in The Shape of Water are spectacular as well. Sally Hawkins, Richard Jenkins, and Michael Shannon propel this film so well. Hawkins plays the mute protagonist Elisa and communicates so well even when she isn’t using sign language; the subtlety she uses is much more apparent than it would have been in a similar role with spoken dialogue. Jenkins plays Hawkins’s neighbor Giles, a more grounded character than Elisa, and their dynamic creates a great opportunity for Jenkins to showcase his character’s change towards the end of the film. Shannon plays a character that seems like it would be a typical Michael Shannon role, but there’s more depth and vulnerability to his character than one might expect; his menace is matched only by his desire to fit into the normal image of a Cold War family man.

This film surprised me. I had no clue how I would be able to find the ability to relate to it, but The Shape of Water is one of my favorite films of the year. The acting, directing, cinematography, visual effects, and score – all of them are fantastic, not lacking in any way. Guillermo del Toro has perfectly crafted this brilliant, original, and ultimately touching fantastical romance, and the care and passion put into it shows blatantly.

My recommendation: Definitely, definitely, definitely see it.

My grade: 96/100