The Shape of Water

Guillermo del Toro has proved several times that he is able to create fantastic worlds that transport us outside of our reality to inhabit in them for a few hours. Whether they are gothic, mythological or futurist, he makes sure that they are so precise and rich in its elements that we are inevitable captivated by them.

For The Shape of Water, he relies again in the scheme of a dark fairytale that made Pan's Labyrinth, one of the best fantasy movies ever filmed. Like in Pan's, an innocent girl is showed the evil that exists in the world while coexisting with a humanoid creature. Sally Hawkins plays Eliza, a deaf woman that works cleaning an experimental laboratory during the Cold War, where she'll start forming a connection with a sea creature that is treated as a beast by the soldiers.

The story, while conventional, still could be very rich in its metaphors towards otherness, and the hate speech that people with power use to subject those who are not like them; a political statement in times where walls, bans and brutality are making a resurgence in world politics. The Shape of Water is a tale about communication, understanding, diversity and standing for those who are tormented because of who they are.

The cast is amazing, all the characters found a great actor that made justice to their stories. Shannon, Spencer, Jenkins and Stuhlbarg are able to create unique individuals that transcend the fable storytelling and the archetypical structure that their characters could have had in paper by offering strong and fascinating performances. But, of course, it is Sally Hawkins who owns the show, being subtle and enigmatic, but charming and strong in her role as Eliza.

But if story and performances alone would have been enough for a very good movie, is Del Toro's work what it turns it into a real masterpiece. Every single scene is crafted in such a meticulous way, that is as if a visual feast was deployed in front of our eyes. He creates a "submerged" environment thanks to his superb use of the color green, both in the tinted cinematography, and in the production design. It is as if we were inhabiting in a dark lagoon, with parts that are suffocating and others that are mesmerizing.

With a vintage style that takes a lot from film noir to embody the 1950's world, a beautiful score by Alexandre Desplat, and the spirit of classical Hollywood impossible romances, Del Toro designs a piece that takes elements from everywhere to elevate them to poetic levels. It is a synthesis of Del Toro's obsessions and strengths, a total splurge of style and an extraordinary attention to detail. His directorial style is very able to touch us through an absurd love story, but that is so beautifully told that we are just drawn in the current of this powerful cinematic experience.