Great Film that emphasizes the importance of communication and fear of 'others.'

Rating: 9/10 (11 March 2018)

The Shape of Water-A Wonderful Adult Fairy Tale Movie about Communication
Ever since visiting the lakes, going fishing, and watching the Disney movie Atlantis, I've always had an obsession with the underwater world and believed that other human-like creatures were lurking beneath the oceans. So, before watching Guillermo Del Toro's The Shape of Water (2017), I was initially excited for this film, and after watching it, I was genuinely impressed with the cinematography, visuals, and theme. The Shape of Water (2017) stylishly tells the story of a classic monster-adult fairy tale and fuses with old Hollywood musical, making it a fascinating experience. Furthermore, with exceptional cinematography and visuals, this film has a great message about the importance of communication and shows it through the excellent development of the characters and narrative.
The movie shows us Elisa (Sally Hawkins), who is a mute woman that works as a nighttime janitor in a research facility center. She doesn't have many friends, except her African-American co-worker friend Zelda Fuller (Octavia Spencer) who spends most of the time talking, and her close neighbor, who is a closeted gay man called Giles (Richard Jenkins). One day, as Elisa is working, the facility center brings an amphibious creature that lives underwater. Intrigued by the creature, Elisa secretly tries to get closer to him by bringing eggs, playing musicals, and teaching him to sign language. Eventually, these two get closer, but Elisa's superior Strickland wants to dissect the creature for study purposes and to avoid the Russians to get more information as well.
In Del Toro's movies, many of his films have great visuals, and with The Shape of Water (2017), the director carefully uses colors to evoke the character's state of mind. The turquoise and teal colored background were used through the entire period to evoke the sense of bleakness and loneliness. All the characters, despite generally having a happy life have some sort of emptiness in their lives and Del Toro wanted to show it through the screen vividly. And so, when the use of color red appears, it is used in controlled situations to show passion and delight in Elisa, making it easier to establish the overall mood.
As for the performance, all the characters including the supporting roles had great depth. The most astonishing feature of the film's vision was that the story was delivered from a voiceless woman, a gay artist, and a black woman, all sharing some problems regarding communication. In particular, Sally Hawkins undoubtedly outshines the rest of the characters as she only uses her body to communicate with others, making it both humorous, powerful, and truly magical. Additionally, Spencer and Jenkins elevate the arc of the story while Shannon as Strickland is genuinely a horrific villain.
Because the creature is an outsider, naturally, Elisa, Zelda, and Giles who are also social pariahs see the amphibious creature as something magnificent while Strickland sees him as "ugly as sin." These direct contrasts show how the importance of communication is demonstrated through the character's situations. Questions such as what happens when we are taken away the ability to communicate with others or who gets to decide who talks are all emphasized throughout the film. In a way, because the characters are social minorities, their voices are all suppressed. Elisa cannot verbally communicate, so she gets help from her close friends Zelda and Giles, making her feel marginalized and incomplete. On the other hand, Strickland's position in society allows him to abuse his powers and use communication only to take advantage of his subordinates.
Just as the title suggests, the element of water is flexible and adaptable, which illustrates that love can have many different shapes and form. Even though Elisa might not be able to communicate verbally, she still can interact with the creature through sign language and does not have to be judged for who she is. In a way, as she bonds with the being, it is shown that sex can also be a form of communication, one that Elisa eventually does to deepen the relationship with her love. Despite the absence of speech, Elisa uses other methods-especially in the water- to connect and communicate with the creature, making her self-expression fill the void that was empty in her life with someone who will love her just for the way she is.
All in all, Del Toro and his cast and crew delivers a compelling film by showcasing unique and imaginative elements of the characters and story. It is no doubt that The Shape of Water (2017) is one of Del Toro's best works. By sticking with the theme of communication, this movie has a relevant message in modern society, and just like water, one can decide what kind of meaning love wants to be.