Review – The Shape of Water

The Shape of Water is a movie that only Guillermo Del Toro could have made.  From the story, to the visuals, to the tone, nobody else in the world could have made this film, let alone make it this good.  This is a truly magical film.  A beautiful, weird, suspenseful adult fairy tale that is one of the best movies of the year.

Set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962, lonely Elisa (Sally Hawkins) works in a hidden high-security government laboratory, trapped in a life of isolation. Elisa’s life is changed forever when she discovers a secret classified experiment and forms an unlikely bond with it.

Del Toro’s direction has never been better here.  He has such control behind the camera, owning everything in this movie from the performances to the placement of a a lamp.  The visuals in this film are beautiful, with a number of screenshots that I want posted on my wall.  Del Toro uses color and lighting to tell the story and it is stunning.  What Del Toro does best is balance the tone.  Making an adult fairy tale is tough, but Del Toro does it better than anyone.  He knows the whimsical idea of a fairy, yet also knows the dark and gothic world.  He blends these two together seamlessly.  We get a sweeping love story, a character piece, and a political thriller all rolled into one and each genre is just as great as the other.  Del Toro even places a random dream sequence featuring a black and white music and dance number that ends up being one of the films’ highlights.  It takes a true master to make a scene like this work and Del Toro is that master.

Sally Hawkins is remarkable as Elisa.  Elisa is a mute, which causes her to be a social outcast of sorts.  Hawkins gives an almost word-less performance, yet carries the emotional weight of the movie.  The emotion she puts into her sign language and her facial expressions is moving and impressive.  Expect to hear Hawkins name a lot come Oscar time.

We get a trio of character actors in this film, all of whom are at the top of their games.  Michael Shannon is spell-binding as the obsessive, violent, candy-eating government agent in charge of disposing of the experiment.  Richard Jenkins is a delight as Elisa’s neighbor who gets caught up in a wild scheme.  He’s sweet, funny, and heartbreaking.  And Michael Stuhlbarg continues his impressive streak of performances as a scientist with a secret of his own.

The Shape of Water is a look at those who are different.  It brings these people, and creatures, together to show that everybody is special and that love holds no bounds.  Guillermo Del Toro has made a beautiful, masterful film that will fill your heart while also putting you on the edge of your seat.

Did you see The Shape of Water?  What did you think?  Comment below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram, @kevflix, or on Facebook by searching Kevflix.