The Shape of Water (2017)

The Shape of Water (2017)

8/10

Starring

Sally Hawkins

Michael Shannon

Richard Jenkins

Octavia Jones

Directed and Written by Guillermo del Toro

The Shape of water is not just a romantic drama that will leave you in awe of the wonderful powers of love, it has an additional spice of fantasy and science fiction just to finish the dish of a pleasant time at the movies.

I came about seeing this movie after I came across the number of accolades it has garnered for itself. Some of which includes Best Director and Best Original Score at the 75th Golden Globe Awards. It was listed in the American Film Institute top ten films of 2017 and has been nominated for Best Film in the upcoming Baftas and Oscars.

Seen as Guillermo del Toro’s Best Film since Pan’s Labyrinth (2006). The Shape of Water has one great memorable performance by the lead Actress Sally Hawkins whose supporting cast members were all in Hollywood acting form to deliver the below plot.

Elisa Esposito (Sally Hawkins) is a mute janitor at a government secret facility. We do not know much about her childhood, but what we do know is she was rendered mute by an injury on her neck which she sustained as an infant.

Elisa's life is centered around two places, her work where her only friend there is Zelda (Octavia Jones) who always looks out for her and serves as her interpreter at work. The second place Elisa also spends her time is her apartment which she hardly stays as she spends most of her time with her next-door neighbor, Giles (Richard Jenkins). Giles is also a lonely individual like Elisa, he is an artist and closet gay. The movie was set in the 1960s so being Gay was not a widely accepted notion at that time.

Zelda and Giles are Elisa’s best friends and the only people who understood her when she spoke in sign language.

One day at work a weird tank container was brought in, and Elisa noticed that it contained something out of the ordinary. During her cleaning she was opportune to be alone with the tank, which houses a creature.

This creature is not just any creature, it is something between an alien or some sort of sea creature that we have never heard about.

Elisa, was fascinated by the creature which she called a Mermaid (Merman actually) when she was telling Giles about it. She started feeding the creature and soon they became friends talking to each other in sign language. Elisa immediately decided she must free the creature as she witnessed Colonel Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon) being brutal to the creature and planned to dissect it.

Her plan of escape and the amazing things the creature can do… well you will have to see this movie to witness it.

The Shape of Water is an awesome movie and worthy of all the accolades it has.