Released: 2017
Starring: Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon, Doug Jones, Richard Jenkins
Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Distributed by: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Rating: R (UK-15)
“Experience a connection beyond words.”
The Shape of Water is the latest spin on the classic story of Beauty and the Beast directed by Guillermo Del Toro. However, our two main characters couldn’t be more different than the classic small-town beauty and cursed prince covered in fur. Instead of France, the story takes place in America and somehow the two fall in love without speaking a single word.
The main character, Elisa Esposito (Sally Hawkins; Blue Jasmine, Paddington), is a mute janitor with an average daily life that is often repetitive and uneventful despite working at a top-secret government lab during the Cold War era of America. Elisa lives above a beautiful cinema across from her good friend and neighbor Giles (Richard Jenkins; The Visitor, The Witches of Eastwick). Elisa communicates in sign language and the only other friend she has is her coworker Zelda (Octavia Spencer; The Help, Hidden Figures).
One day her monotonous and lonely life is changed when she is present as the lab’s latest asset and test subject is brought into one of the rooms on her cleaning route. The creature is never given a name or even referred to as anything other than an “asset” but is referred to in the credits as the Amphibian Man. Yes, you read that correctly. The creature is a combination of man and fish. It isn’t clear as to what testing will occur on him in the lab, however, under the care of sadistic and misogynistic Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon; Man of Steel, Pearl Harbor) he is held captive in a tank, often tased and beaten.
Elisa begins to visit the Amphibian Man while at work and even shares her lunch with him. She feeds him boiled eggs and teaches him some basic signs such as “egg” and “music”. She brings in a record player, which he enjoys very much, and dances for him while she cleans. Slowly, Elisa begins to care for the Amphibian Man. When Richard is ordered to execute the “asset”, Elisa, along with the help of Giles and Zelda, plans an escape from the lab and eventually release back into the sea. However, how will she pull it off? Will she be able to free him once she falls in love with him?
The Shape of Water is another beautiful film by the imaginative and fascinating Guillermo Del Toro. The Shape of Water is visually captivating from the beginning scene which introduces us to the main character and her apartment while making us feel we are underwater. The music is eerie and beautiful. Despite taking place in America much of the music is international. French, Spanish, and Portuguese can be heard throughout The Shape of Water which adds color to a mostly dark and dreary setting.
Elisa’s clothing stays within this green and blue underwater theme until the very end when it is apparent that she loves the Amphibian Man and suddenly she wears a lovely red coat and matching red heels. The clothing and set design stay true to the time period but have a fascinating timeless feel. One of the most interesting sets is Elisa’s old apartment which sits above a movie theatre. It has large cloudy windows shaped almost like the window of a submarine or even the glass of a fish tank. The objects and decor throughout the apartment along with the color theme gives you the feeling of a home under the ocean.
The Amphibian Man truly holds the most fascinating character and costume design. Actor Doug Jones (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy), a Del Toro mainstay, plays the Amphibian Man with the same natural grace as his many other creatures seen throughout his years working alongside Del Toro. His suit is made of beautifully designed and painted latex that moves and glistens like the true form of a fish. Glow in the dark paint and UV light were used to give the Amphibian Man his magical glow and the only part of his body enhanced via CGI were his eyes, which are the least human part of him. His fins and gills of his costume were controlled via a remote control. The fins and gills around his neck were one of my favorite parts of the costume as they came up high like a striking regal collar. The skill of the creators and makeup team who applied this costume shines throughout The Shape of Water as viewers are awed at the majestic character and slowly come to care for him along with Elisa.
Elisa, despite having a very routine lifestyle, is quirky and has a certain charm. She loves to watch musical performances on the television with Giles and seems to dream of excitement and adventure. Her compassion and curiosity are what leads her to the relationship with the Amphibian Man and her caring nature is what sets her apart from the cold and harsh lab she cleans each day. She is clever and passionate which are the exact traits she needed to pull off such an escape from the lab. She empathizes with the Amphibian because she too is different and alone and she feels a connection in their inability to speak. One of my favorite scenes is when she is trying to convince Giles, her friend and neighbor, to help her with the escape. She asks Giles to speak the words she is signing out loud. This played out beautifully. You feel her passion and urgency in the way that she signs but also see Giles begin to understand how Elisa truly feels about who she is and how people see her.
Some of the most beautiful lines from this film come from Giles as he narrates the opening and closing of the film. Considering he is one of the few characters who actually speaks that is not as surprising, however, I believe it is the complexity of his character that allows him to be so wise. He himself is lonely and yearning for love. Being a homosexual man during the 1960’s proves difficult especially when his only crush is a straight diner owner who openly and harshly rejects him and the idea of any homosexual customers. He is also trying to continue his career as a commercial artist during a time when photos began to replace that style of marketing. Despite all of his struggles, Giles is there for his dear friend Elisa even when she comes to him with an insane plan to free the Amphibian man although it does take some convincing.
Elisa also has a wonderful friendship with her coworker Zelda. Zelda is a chatty and sweet African American woman who is married to a man she loves and loves to complain about. She has known Elisa for over a decade and cares for her very much. She initially tries to stop Elisa’s escape plan but once she realizes how much it means to her she jumps on board all the while supplying a bunch of comedic lines for the audience.
The villain, or “Gaston” character, is evident in Richard Strickland. As the typical successful white American male with a beautiful wife and kids, he doesn’t show his obsession with Elisa at first. After a few grimace-worthy and painful to watch interactions with her, his fascination begins affecting not only his work interactions with her but his relationship with his wife whom he tries to have “remain silent” while being intimate, imitating Elisa’s inability to speak. He is racist, arrogant, and power hungry and when his “asset” goes missing and his job and possibly life are on the line, he becomes crazed and unstoppable.
The ending of The Shape of Water was my favorite part. In an interesting turn of events, the story comes to a close wonderfully. It has a conclusion while continuing to keep you wondering what will happen next. Giles concludes the film, giving us more of his wisdom in his narration and the beautiful underwater world seems to surround us once again. And although the relationship seemed damned from the beginning it really makes you wonder if it was always the ending meant for Elisa and if she finally found where she belonged.
Rating:
Ella Fiore:
Although I wasn’t “in love” with the love story, it was a beautifully made film with so many wonderful elements! I’d def recommend giving The Shape of Water a watch.
Fool on the Hill:
I really liked this movie! It was just weird enough to catch my attention from start to finish. From the fantastical-looking filming, to the old-fashioned setting that seemed to be a bit out of place with the plot, to the mute main character, to the strange swamp monster – this movie had everything! Somehow, this was a really heartwarming film that was more than just the ‘strange love story’ that it looked like. The relationships between the characters were real and I loved the dynamics between everyone involved. No character was unimportant and the actors played off one another really well. I give this movie four stars. Definitely give it a watch!
It was all this and more. Great film!