Dear Movie Fans,
I'm not a sci-fi lover but this movie wowed me! And those at E Street, too, where most audience members clapped at the end.
What does that tell you about its entertainment value?
Richard Jenkins in The Shape of Water/ Photo by Kerry Hayes, 20th Century Fox
As my friend, Claire, said, "It's magical realism" (?) and, "brilliant."
A woman who is mute (played by Sally Hawkins) uncovers a deep, dark mystery in the research lab where she works as a cleaning lady in Baltimore in the early 1960s. Her best friend and helpmate is played by Octavia Spencer who showers us once again with immense talents she brings to the screen.
Elisa's nearby neighbor in her apartment building (Richard Jenkins as Giles) has been mentioned as a Best Supporting Actor nominee but I've got another idea. Please read below.
Michael Shannon has a filmography almost 25 years old, with titles like Man of Steel, The Iceman, and Wolves. His presence in Shape scenes almost steels (sic; sorry, couldn't resist) the show with his clenched jaw lines, the ability to speak through locked teeth, frozen expressions while he grips arms and transfers pain, all the while threatening lives and draining the audience of any semblance of rationality.
He's going to explode at any moment! Hold on. He's a monster in human skin who can breathe out of water, and he's rather convincing.
Yes, there's water involved! But what does the title mean? There is no "shape" of water; everything is fluid (ahem), changing, and it's time to go with the flow? Down, down, down we go?
In an interview with Rachel Martin of NPR, Guillermo del Toro, the masterful author of the tail tale, says the film is about communication, how two mute beings connect "beautifully...I think that this is a movie that is incredibly pertinent and almost like an antidote to a lot of the cynicism and disconnect that we experience day to day."
Del Toro's story was shaped by fairy tales (but don't let that deter you) and his latent Catholicism.
Shape is a thriller, a romance, a comedy, a crime story, a keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat mix to flood your senses.
Yes, there are real sex scenes, masturbation, female frontal nudity (natch: Has there been male frontal nudity? Show me), and the Parents Guide says the F bomb is used 12 times, but honestly, since we have become immune to these words, why use them at all? To show we can flow with the rest?
Throw in blood, gore, a "R" rating, and this is not a movie for children.
It's one of those rare creations which I wish I had not seen so I could see it again for the first time.
Here's a link to the trailer for Shape of Water and a few Oscar nominations:
Best Actress: Sally Hawkins as Elisa
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer as Zelda
Best Supporting Actor: Michael Shannon as Strickland (with nods to Michael Stuhlbarg as Robert Hoffstetler and Richard Jenkins as Giles)
Best Original Screenplay: Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor
Best Original Score: Alexandre Desplat
Best Cinematography: Dan Laustsen
Best Costume Design: Luis Sequeira
Best Film Editing: Sidney Wolinsky
Best Production Design: Paul D. Austerberry, Jeffrey A. Melvin, Shane Vieau
Best Sound Design: Nathan Robitaille
Best Sound Mixing: Glen Gauthier, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern
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