The Shape of Water: Movie Review
Hypnotically persuasive in its approach to love, director Guillermo Del Toro has mastered his unique craft. "The Shape of Water" is a film worth experiencing for anyone who has an open mind. It has it's flaws, but the central beating heart of this love story is something to be admired for years to come.
The film takes place in the 1960's, where Elisa, a lonely and mute janitor (Sally Hawkins) finds love with an aquatic creature (Doug Jones). Del Toro finds himself cornered by some silly contrivances, but it never slows down this beautiful crafted love story.
The acting is superb, but with some minor quibbles. Sally Hawkins plays a mute to perfection, and Richard Jenkins is always fantastic, as the gay best friend of Elisa. But Richard, (Michael Shannon), never really finds his footing as the "evil" character and delivers some lines that made me slowly slouch in my seat. Also is Zelda (Octavia Spencer), who has some unbelievably contrived scenes. Zelda's motives are poorly realized and are partnered with some dialogue that made me scratch my head more than once.
But the real main character here is the intangible love between human and creature. It's undeniably fascinating and sometimes shockingly so. The love scenes are brilliant and capture a perspective not seen on screen before. Some might it find it silly, but Del Toro's imagination is something to admire and cherish with delicacy.
The music also captures the time period, complementing the love story with a strategic composition. The sets are stunning to look at, creating a gloomy self awareness daring to be explored. It's marvelous and is a stunning look into the mind of Guillermo Del Toro.
Unfortunately, "The Shape of Water" has numerous issues. The dialogue is a mess, and some of the characters are not characterized well. And while it's not Del Toro's best (Pans Labyrinth is still his masterpiece) he still is a creative genius. The love story here is irresistible, and I have to implore you to witness one of the sexiest films of 2017.
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