The Shape of Water (2018) - Written Review

Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water has had an interesting response leading up to its (tediously late) UK release. The whole concept of "the movie where Sally Hawkins gets with a fish man"
seems completely ridiculous when you consider that this is a big awards contender (and winner). Its very easy to lose sight of what del Toro was actually trying to create with The Shape of Water because of these (debatable) over-simplifications. There's been a huge amount said about the film's content, and approach to the romantic story-line between the two leads (and what it means in the broader context of monster movies and Beauty and the Beast-esque stories), that I feel like many won't be able to just watch The Shape of Water for what it is.

Set in 1960's Cold War-era America, the film very much tackles its themes of prejudice straight-on, telling the story from the perspective of Elisa (Sally Hawkins), a mute cleaner at a top-secret government facility; its also worth noting that her friend Zelda (Octavia Spencer) is an African-American, while other cleaners and lower-tier staff at the facility all appear to be minorities. Her next-door neighbour Giles (Richard Jenkins) is a brilliant, but struggling artist who happens to be homosexual, while her unsettling boss Strickland (Michael Shannon) is a violent, aggressive control-freak who has recently captured a one-of-a-kind amphibian creature. If his stories mocking the natives of the place where he found the creature (who worshiped it as a God) are perhaps not the most subtle way of conveying the meta-narrative del Toro is exploring here, his treatment of the Amphibian Man (Doug Jones) will perhaps exemplify that point further.

Exploring the whole idea of contemporary prejudice and turning into a "monster movie" isn't an accident from del Toro. Readings of King Kong (1933), alongside a variety of other monster movies from the early 20th Century, tackle ideas of a "threatening" minority to American culture, and many could very easily call them offensive. Perhaps its ironic then that as a child, Kong was always my favourite character in every version of the story. His ultimate death (come on, its an 85 year old movie!) was one that deeply upset me, and I think the tragedy was partly what drew me to King Kong as a story. I'm clearly not the only one though, as Peter Jackson makes this a key focal point of his 2005 King Kong remake, while Guillermo del Toro reinterprets Creature From the Black Lagoon in a similar way with The Shape of Water. No longer is the "monstrous" minority threatening, but a compelling character - despite their "beastly" nature. Ultimately, del Toro has made a self-aware "monster movie" that seeks to redefine our definition of monster. Unlike Disney's Beauty and the Beast, there is no transformation into Dan Stevens at the end, the monster remains a monster, because that's who he is.

That's not to say though that del Toro is trying to say that the heterosexual white male is the villain in this situation, despite Michael Shannon's clear role as the antagonist. One of the scientists (Michael Stuhlbarg) working at the facility has a clear admiration and respect for the Amphibian Man, and his efforts to help the creature are as admirable as Elisa's, despite having his own disadvantage (which I shan't spoil here). The villain here is ultimately this very human desire for superiority and control, while Michael Shannon's all-American Colonel serving as the embodiment of that.

Del Toro has essentially made an "arty-farty" film (as I like to call it) here, and in many ways I can see that putting some people off, but the fact of the matter is that del Toro has simply made a love story, with the whole concept of prejudice and "monster movies" serving as icing on the cake, an extra layer for those who interested enough to sink their teeth into. The romance between Elisa and the Amphibian Man is fascinating to watch, because its based around this idea of "true love". Throughout the film, the two characters can only communicate as Elisa teaches the Amphibian Man sign-language, while their physical attraction is also played with. The Amphibian Man is designed to look complete monstrous, despite having very humanoid features, while casting Sally Hawkins as Elisa - as opposed to, say, Margot Robbie or Scarlett Johansson - plays with the whole idea of human beauty as well. Hawkins isn't a supermodel movie star, but her beauty is shown through her character in such a way that its no surprise that the Amphibian Man falls in love with her. When the two are finally allowed to be together, del Toro crafts the scenes in such a way as to make it beautiful, and to almost laugh at the idea of how "disgusting" it is. Del Toro ultimately crafts a love story, and one that very much comes from the heart.

Of course, one has to give credit to Sally Hawkins' silent performance throughout as Elisa, as well the physical performance from Doug Jones as the Amphibian Man. While certain aspects of his performance are digitally-enhanced, Jones' movements are fascinating to watch, feeling almost ethereal (which, as it turns out, is kind of the point). Richard Jenkins as Giles is a really lovely character in himself, given his own entire sub-plot to help explore the film's themes, while Michael Stuhlbarg's story-line is equally as interesting and compelling. Octavia Spencer gets most of the laughs in the film, but its not just her comic acting on display here, with her more dramatic scenes providing the film a sense of emotional gravitas that would otherwise be lacking. And then there's Michael Shannon, who marches onto screen with a commanding presence that also manages to convey a feeling of vulnerability. His story is at points comically bizarre, and at others strangely compelling. His character is clearly the villain of the piece, but he's still a character underneath it all.

Alexandre Desplat's score is a wonderful mix of whimsy and romance, which thanks to the main character's silence has many moments to truly shine, complementing Dan Laustsen's beautiful cinematography. The visual story-telling from del Toro is exquisite, as is the musical story-telling from Desplat, telling this beautiful fairy-tale. If there's a real criticism with the piece, its the lack of subtlety in certain moments. There's a scene in the third act that feels almost completely out-of-place, as though del Toro made a bet with someone to see how far he could go. It's still a nice scene, and I can see many staunchly defending it, but for me it felt like a step too far. I can also imagine many will find the ending disappointing, but personally I didn't find myself disappointed at all. The ending is clearly set-up over the course of the film in such a way that it couldn't possibly end any other way.

To conclude, The Shape of Water is a brilliant film, a near-masterpiece from Guillermo del Toro; it all looks beautiful on screen, and his story is really well-crafted. It might not be for everyone, but its pretty darn great. 9/10

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