"A Fairy Tale for a Troubled Time"

Rating: 9/10 (21 March 2018)

Imagine you're watching a classic Disney fairy tale, like 'Beauty and the Beast' or 'Snow White'. Now take that formula, and mold it to fit a mature tone, a 1960's Cold War setting, with unique lead characters and a touch a supernatural fantasy. Sounds a little bizarre, right? The Shape of Water not only proves the odd mix of elements can work, but does so with an exclamation point, creating a surprisingly outstanding work of film.
The Shape of Water is, at heart, an adult fairy tale. Director and writer Guillermo del Toro's vision for this film is a never-before-seen take on the established fairy tale format which has stood the test of time for countless decades in film. Narratively speaking, the film doesn't necessarily innovate in terms of story progression in this particular genre. The main plot movement is still fairly standard for a love story, and the ending is easily predictable. But it's the exemplary presentation of a completely new way to experience this genre that makes The Shape of Water special. Instead of watching the love story play out between two stereotypical human leads, we see a female mute, and a strangely charming amphibian-type creature in the lead roles. As odd as it sounds, it just clicks. The structure of del Toro's script is filled with ingenious dialogue and terrific pacing, giving so much room for the heart to dive into the story and its characters.
Subplots are present but not distracting to the primary narrative, they help deepen the tale and give it some room to breathe occasionally. The grimmer Cold War espionage setting weirdly blends incredibly well with the romantic fantasy tone, invoking a feeling of danger and security all at once. There are sequences of daring moments, keeping you engaged, then it streams effortlessly into a cleared, heart-warming scene. It's an unusual but greatly inviting feeling. So again, while I can't say the story itself is anything revolutionary, its del Toro's brilliantly flowing dialogue mixed with an exclusive set of tones and characters that propels this age-old storytelling formula into stardom.
Del Toro is a brilliant storyteller, no doubt, but it's the underrated elements that give The Shape of Water its heart and soul. The film is backed by a simple, yet emotionally attaching score from Alexandre Desplat. The subtle and innocent sounding music is so in sync with the tone set on the screen, it gives another layer of depth to be consumed. It may not be a blockbuster action epic, but the cinematography and overall production value is superb, from the scenery to the wowing view of Amphibian Man's design. Smart little nuances cause the soul of the film to thrive and del Toro and his crew get additional recognition for that.
As romantic movie duos go, this one may just take the cake in terms of pure abnormality, but it also might take the cake as one of the best. There's Elisa Esposito, a lonely mute janitor trapped in a life of isolation and Amphibian Man, the out of place creature being used for research at a top-secret US facility. The charming nature of Elisa is written extremely well, its easy to develop a love for the character who seems so innocent, and in her motives, which are just to find happiness in the company of others. The writing of Elisa is splendid, but actress Sally Hawkins deserves monumental praise for a delightful performance, especially in the role of a mute. Hawkins uses facial expressions and physical language to convey her emotions expertly, so well that there's little effort from a viewing standpoint to become attached to the character.
Opposite Hawkins is Doug Jones who is excellent playing the role of Amphibian Man. He isn't necessarily unique in the way that we've seen his character type before; the outcast creature inconsiderately being beaten down, with a character on the opposite side that sees through a frightening exterior. But his mysterious origins and subsequent powers give a defining trait to the character, and it's his interactions with Elisa that make the character work. I didn't expect, but would have loved to see more background development for Amphibian Man. His mystical roots crack the door open for larger storytelling, but for this smaller contained story, what we got was all we needed.
Hawkins and Jones lead the charge for the cast but with two lead characters who don't speak, a rock solid supporting cast in vital, and it certainly is here. Octavia Spencer brings her charisma to the role of Zelda, Elisa's work friend, a character that Elisa feeds off and becomes incredibly likeable, as with most of Spencer's roles. Richard Jenkins is equally as charming as Giles, Elisa's housemate, and the two have fantastic dialogue. Giles also gets a subplot of his own, which pans out satisfyingly in the scope of the main story. Michael Shannon rounds it out in the antagonist role of government agent Richard Strickland, and Shannon is awesome. The character's writing does at times feel a bit dull or rudimentary, but Shannon's rousing performance gives the danger this film needs to counter its romantic charm, he's excellent in the role.
"A fairy tale for a troubled time". This was the description of the film given by del Toro himself, and there's no better way to put it. It treads into familiar storytelling ground in terms of a romantic love story, but totally reinvents how we look at it. Darker fantasy tones mix with pleasingly pleasant characters, none more so than the leads themselves, to create a fairy tale we really haven't seen before and it's absolutely wonderful. Guillermo del Toro finally earned his Oscar wins with The Shape of Water, a truly unique, unequivocally rewarding fairy tale.
9/10