The Shape Of Water: A Fairy Tale for Modern Times
Movie Review by Benjy Berkowitz ’18
“This movie review for The Shape of Water, which received 13 Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Lead Actress, written by Film Appreciation Club president and renowned cinefile Benjy Berkowitz, highlights the film’s intriguing oddities and offers insight into the ambitions of its director, Guillermo Del Toro. ” ~ Ms. Mahoney
If there’s one thing that everyone can agree on when it comes to Director Guillermo Del Toro, it is that all of his movies are visually striking. Almost all of Del Toro’s movies have had impressive reception, from the critical acclaim of Pan’s Labyrinth to the blockbuster performances of Pacific Rim. These movies are very different but they all are filled with impressive character design, visual effects and cinematography. Del Toro’s newest endeavor, The Shape Of Water, is no exception to this trend. Though it is less reliant on CGI, the effects in the movie still come through with the striking Creature. The look of the film, which takes place in Baltimore in 1962, helps transport and immerse the audience into the dark, wet and almost subterranean world in which the films story unfolds.
The film centers around a mute janitor named Elisa and her relationship with a creature-from-the-black-lagoon-ish monster. The creature is being held for experimentation in the government laboratory where Elisa and her friend Zelda (Octavia Spencer) work the graveyard cleaning shift. The Creature and Elisa’s relationship starts out innocent enough, with Elisa giving the creature eggs and teaching it sign language. They find common ground in their shared lack of speech. Elisa quickly falls in love (questionably quickly) with the creature and, after hearing the news of the scientists plan to kill the creature, wants to break it out of the facility. This love story may be the central motivator for the actions in the film but there are many other things going on.
The Shape of Water is a busy movie. Some could critique it for having too much going on. I think this criticism is invalid. No sub plot feels out of place. It works in a similar way to Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Bastards, with two plots that coincidentally meet up and join forces. The other plot involves a Russian scientist/spy who has too much respect for the creature to kill it. Both sides of the story are under threat from the the antagonist of the movie, played by a intense and effective Michael Shannon.
Sally Hawkins’s performance is a highlight of the film. Without words she manages to convey any emotion needed through facial expressions and body language. Elisa, her character, is delightfully rebellious and unexpected. She seems like she is going to be quiet and timid but it is quickly revealed that she is anything but. Michael Shannon is also impressively intense as Strickland, a character that borders on being one dimensional but works as a great as an underlying threat throughout the entire movie. Some of the best and most intense scenes in the movie come from Strickland and Elisa’s interactions.
At its heart The Shape of Water is, like Del Toro’s other films, a fantasy. Many improbable things happen throughout, besides the existence of a monster. There are set pieces and plot points that are absolutely unimaginable, but I am not saying that as a critique. The movie can almost be seen as a fairy tale (the occasional narration even refers to Elisa as a princess). In an interview with the cast of the film on Entertainment Weekly, Doug Jones says “Guillermo Del Toro himself has called this a fairy tale for troubled times.” Despite the setting and time of the film, it is intended to be a fairy tale. It has all the important parts of a fairy tale story: a princess, a prince and an evil villain trying to stop the two from being together. (However in this case it is the prince that is in distress instead of the princess). People should not go into this movie with the mindset of seeing a realistic thriller or love story; you will surely be disappointed if you do. You should go into this movie with the want to be absorbed by the atmosphere and must be open to anything.
The movie is also visually impressive. While it takes place in the drab and rainy looking Baltimore, its retro sets and costume design all create a cohesive look. Not to mention the flawless CGI of the monster himself. It is wonderfully shot, filled with green and blue color palettes and shadowy and thematic lighting. On top of this Guillermo Del Toro’s direction is top notch. He manages to intertwine sensual and romantic scene with sometimes brutal violence in a way in which it flows flawlessly. Del Toro juggles many things at once in the film yet never drops the ball.
The Shape of Water is exciting, intense and heart warming at the same time. It has themes of equality and acceptance. It asks its viewers to take away any prejudices they may have about love as to be able to see the film as a true love story, no matter who the love is between. The way that the relationship between Elisa and the creature is portrayed shows that the creators of the movie wanted to challenge the conventions of the traditional love story/fairy tale and show something unexpected. The Shape of Water is well worth your time if you are open to a different and new kind of love story.
Source: I used a video from Entertainment Weekly, a media news source whose purpose is to report the latest news in TV, music, books, theater and movies. This source (a video interview with the cast and crew of the movie) was helpful to me because it gave me insight into the deeper meanings of the film from the actual creators of the movie and not just another reviewer giving an opinion.