The Shape of
Water isn’t just a romantic drama that will leave you in awe of the
wonderful powers of love—it also has an added spice of fantasy and science
fiction to complete the dish of a pleasant time at the movies.
I decided to watch this movie after learning about the number of accolades it has garnered. Some of these include Best Director and Best Original Score at the 75th Golden Globe Awards. It was listed in the American Film Institute’s top ten films of 2017 and has been nominated for Best Film at the upcoming BAFTAs and Oscars. Seen as Guillermo del Toro’s best film since Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), The Shape of Water features a memorable performance by lead actress Sally Hawkins, with a supporting cast that delivers Hollywood-level acting to bring the following plot to life.
Elisa Esposito
(Sally Hawkins) is a mute janitor at a government secret facility. We don’t
know much about her childhood, except that she was rendered mute by an injury
to her neck sustained as an infant.
Elisa’s life revolves around two places: her workplace, where her only friend is Zelda (Octavia Spencer), who looks out for her and serves as her interpreter, and her apartment, where she hardly stays because she spends most of her time with her next-door neighbor, Giles (Richard Jenkins). Giles is also a lonely individual—an artist and a closeted gay man. The movie is set in the 1960s, a time when being gay wasn’t widely accepted. Zelda and Giles are Elisa’s best friends and the only people who understand her when she communicates in sign language.
One day at work,
a strange tank container is brought in, and Elisa notices it contains something
extraordinary. During her cleaning duties, she gets the chance to be alone with
the tank, which houses a creature. This creature isn’t just any creature—it’s
something between an alien and a sea creature, unlike anything we’ve ever heard
of. Elisa is fascinated by the creature, which she calls a “mermaid” (or
rather, a merman) when describing it to Giles. She starts feeding the creature,
and soon they become friends, communicating in sign language. Elisa quickly
decides she must free the creature after witnessing Colonel Richard Strickland
(Michael Shannon) brutally mistreat it and plan to dissect it.
Her plan for
escape and the amazing abilities of the creature… well, you’ll have to watch
the movie to witness it. The Shape of Water is an incredible film and
worthy of all the accolades it has received.
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