The Shape of Water Movie Review
Guillermo del Toro excels at creating worlds and characters that feel real while maintaining a sense of fantasy. He’s best known for Pan’s Labyrinth and The Shape of Water is no different. The story revolves around mute custodian Elisa (Sally Hawkins) working at a top secret government research facility. She finds a human-like amphibian creature being held captive and falls in love.
The Story
Guillermo del Toro, the director of Pan’s Labyrinth, brings his passion for monster movies and unconventional love stories to this other-worldly fairy tale. He combines an enchanting color palette and thematically appropriate emerald green with sets that create otherworldly environments.
Unlike other similar films, Del Toro’s film focuses less on the monster itself and more on the loneliness of the main character. We get to know her and the creature on an equal footing, as their communication goes beyond talking into actions and body language.
The creature’s capture in the Amazon echoes how Latin America was robbed, dissected and exploited for centuries. The cruel Colonel Strickland’s use of a cattle prod on the amphibian man reminds us of how our society treats those who are different from ourselves. And the movie’s theme of embracing the other is significant in today’s political climate. This is a solar movies film that grows with repeated viewings, as its quiet side stories become louder.
The Cast
Sally Hawkins is a revelation as the film’s main character, Elisa. Her mute character, a janitor at a secret government lab in Cold War-era Baltimore, discovers a humanoid amphibian that she befriends and falls deeply in love with. But the creature’s fate hangs in the balance as the evil Colonel Strickland (Michael Shannon) wants to capture and exploit it.
The film explores themes of disability, sexuality and power through its characters and their relationships with one another. In addition to Elisa and the Gill-man, there’s her loyal next-door neighbor Zelda (Octavia Spencer) and her friend/lover Giles (Richard Jenkins).
With references to Creature from the Black Lagoon, King Kong and Splash, The Shape of Water is an otherworldly fairy tale that blends ’50s creature features with dark fantasy and old-fashioned swooning romance. Alexandre Desplat’s delightful score adds to the charm and beauty of the world Del Toro has created. The film may take some cues from other monster films, but the script, acting and stunning visuals set it apart.
The Visuals
As with many of his films, Guillermo del Toro puts a lot into the visuals. An aquatic blue saturates the film, from the opening shot of the lab to the creature’s skin and even Strickland’s car. The color evokes water’s mystical properties and thematic importance.
In the movie, water equates to life. The scene of Elisa masturbating in her bathtub reflects this. She looks fully at ease, even though she should be about to drown. Her love for the creature is also shown as being water-like, flowing freely and unfettered by time.
This is the main message of the movie, which could be summed up as “Love is love, even if it’s between a woman and a fish man.” While this might sound like a shallow message, it isn’t. The Shape of Water is a movie that grows on repeat watches, its quiet side stories growing louder with familiarity. It is a gorgeous, labyrinthine fairy tale that carries a powerful message.
The Score
As is often the case, the film’s score is a major reason it won so many awards at Oscar time. Alexandre Desplat won the Best Original Score award, making it three for three for him in 2017. He also wrote music for Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets and Suburbicon.
Desplat clearly understood the significance of the movie’s central metaphor, water, as a symbol of both love and loneliness. From the opening melody, which resembles waves rolling in, to the more playful theme for Eliza and the amphibian man’s relationship, he created a score that perfectly embodied the film’s themes.
Despite its fantastical and otherworldly elements, the film is very much grounded in reality. The film’s setting is a secret government lab, the creature is captured and held in captivity, Strickland wants to vivisect him and Eliza harbors thoughts of engineering his escape. The film is not only a beautiful fairy tale but a poignant reminder of the importance of human connection.