A FAIRY TALE FOR TROUBLED TIMES.
In 1954, a boy called Guillermo del Toro went to the movies and saw what is now a classic monster movie, Creature From the Black Lagoon. He loved the movie, not just for its thrills but also because he found the leading lady, Julie Adams, beautiful. When he saw her and the monster, he thought, āI hope they end up togetherā. At one point, del Toro the grown-up filmmaker was considered for a remake of the movie, but The Shape of Water is a much better idea ā a monster movie with heart and a gorgeous visual look that has become his trademark.
In early 1960s Baltimore, the mute Elisa Esposito (Sally Hawkins) is working as a janitor at an aerospace research center. When the facility receives a mysterious new discovery, referred to by the military as an āassetā, it is accompanied by Colonel Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon), a cunning and sadistic man who doesnāt really care about the creature he found in the rivers of South America. To him, the āassetā might be of interest in the escalating competition with the Soviet Union because of its amphibious qualities⦠but you donāt really need the creature alive to understand it.
The āassetā is a humanoid and if youāre not careful he can be very dangerous, as Strickland painfully learns. But when Elisa is left alone with the creature, she approaches him gently, offers a gift, and slowly forges a bond of trust. However, Strickland and the military are beginning to pose a direct threat against the creatureā¦
Taking place during the Cold War
Fans of the director will recognize many ingredients here right away. The story takes place during the Cold War, but fuses that part of history with a fantastical tale, much as del Toro did in the Hellboy films (set during World War II) and his masterful Panās Labyrinth (2006), which was set shortly after the Spanish Civil War. There are usually ghosts or other creatures in del Toroās films, and the amphibious humanoid here looks slightly familiar as it is played by frequent del Toro collaborator Doug Jones. He was very memorable as another amphibious creature in the Hellboy films, and heās a treat here as the āassetā ā deadly for sure, but also sweet, funny and perhaps even sexy as the story takes a turn for the (even) weird(er) in the movieās second half.
This is cinematographer Dan Laustsenās third project together with del Toro, and heās likely a huge reason why itās so easy to identify this film as a del Toro project ā their most poetic, romantic and at the same time ludicrous scene must be Elisaās waterlogged attempt to give the creature more space in her bathroom. The filmās greatest performance is delivered by Hawkins as Elisa, a mousy yet passionate woman who is immediately intrigued by the āassetā. The film is firmly on the side of those who are a little different, including Richard Jenkinsās character, the gay artist who lives next door to Elisa and has a crush on a handsome, younger guy at a diner. Together with Octavia Spencer, who plays Hawkinsās co-worker, they all make a hugely entertaining team, another familiar ingredient from del Toro movies; the director rarely portrays isolated characters.
Shannon is very good as the opposite, a smart but psychopathic Army loyalist, but the actor never turns him into a simple villain; this is a compelling character and Shannon finds little quirks to make him special.
Alexandre Desplatās music score reinforces the magic of this fairy tale, which becomes increasingly engaging as it goes along. Some of the set pieces will have you on the edge of your seat, especially the creatureās escape from the Baltimore facility.Ā
The Shape of Water 2017-U.S. 119 min. Color. Produced byĀ J. Miles Dale, Guillermo del Toro. Directed byĀ Guillermo del Toro. Screenplay: Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor.Ā Cinematography: Dan Laustsen. Music: Alexandre Desplat. Production Design:Ā Paul D. Austerberry.Ā Cast: Sally Hawkins (Elisa Esposito), Michael Shannon (Richard Strickland), Richard Jenkins (Giles), Octavia Spencer, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg.
Trivia: Ian McKellen was allegedly considered for Jenkinsās part.
Oscars: Best Picture, Directing, Original Score, Production Design. Golden Globe: Best Director, Original Score.Ā BAFTA: Best Director, Original Music, Production Design.
Venice: Golden Lion.
Last word:Ā āI set it in 1962 specifically, because when people say, āletās Make America Great Again,ā theyāre dreaming of that era. Itās an era where the cars had jet fins, the kitchens were automatic. Everything was super-great if you were white, Anglo-Saxon, and Protestant, but if you were anything else, you were fucked. It hasnāt changed that much.ā (Del Toro, Indiewire)