MOVIE REVIEW - "The Shape of Water"

Playing in select theaters nationwide, The Shape of Water majestically exhausts audiences through its quirky twists and turns, finally ending in a genre of its own.

Director Guillermo del Toro’s latest release is, at its core, a romance story following mute janitorial worker Elisa’s (Sally Hawkins) intimate connection with a top-secret amphibian creature being held by the government during the height of the Cold War; however, del Toro’s attention to detail in his execution of early 1960s atmosphere, perspectives and life entirely encompasses one’s focus away from the archetype, especially for those who never experienced that day and age personally.

The Shape of Water gives audiences the rare feeling of being a part of the story instead of simply watching it. Everything in del Toro’s film, from the music, which is consistently queued to audiences through vinyl, to the highlighted transition from illustration to photographs in advertising, and in the home from radio to watching TV, helps place viewers squarely within the time and place of the story.

The portrayal of antagonist Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon) alternates between depicting a man that has succumbed to the morally-questionable pressures of his job and consequently descended into pure evil, and a surprisingly relatable human failing to juggle the weight of his consuming job.

Strickland’s ignorance in his pursuit of Hawkins and the amphibious humanoid is almost an ode of sorts to the peculiarity of the human condition, as his actions turn increasingly violent even with his conscious hinting at the fact this path will lead him to his end.

Aside from strict plot developments, del Toro also brings up larger spiritual and emotional notions such as finding one’s place in a highly subjective and competitive world, as well as what is means to be alone and to feel as if one will always be alone.

For a story that takes place in the heart of the age of the nostalgic American dream, The Shape of Water reminds us that that dream was, at the time, an exclusive ideal, and wonderfully gives a voice to those who did not have one... literally.