The Shape of Water
I was happy to see my local cinema screening this movie as I am a fan of writer/director Guillermo del Toro and because it won 4 Oscars this year. The film is about a janitor (Sally Hawkins) in the 1960s who befriends an amphibious creature held captive by the military. Hawkins janitor is mute, living a routine riddled life, and in need of a shake up which the eye catching creature certainly provides. Not afraid to take the film into different directions, del Toro has experimented enough to find and deliver here, just the right amount of surreal. The film has brief moments of brevity but instead crafts an ever building feeling of hope in spite of the odds against the heroes finding happiness. It won 4 Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Original Score, Production Design, and was nominated for 9 more. I liked how most of the shots were moving (steady, not shaky), making the film seem more organic, and lending itself to the image of imaging what exactly is a shape of water. Filmed in Ontario, The Shape of Water was written and directed by Guillermo del Toro who last made Crimson Peak and is next making a documentary on director Michael Mann. A huge fan of monsters, I believe he would have been perfect to help shape a Universal monster film series but if this is what he makes on his own then I love that he has the freedom. Sally Hawkins is also currently appearing in Paddington 2 and will next be seen in the drama Eternal Beauty and the sci-fi sequel Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Also appearing in the film is the scene stealing Octavia Spencer, as well as Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, and Doug Jones as the creature.
The Shape of Water
2018, 14A, 2h 3m