# Talk:The Shape of Water

This article is incomplete and is missing important information on the film's release and box office gross which needs to be added to the article via sections. The box office section can be added as a sub-section into the reception section while information on the film's release can be added in its own section under the sub section theatrical release. I would do it myself but I have so many other obligations for other article I still need to get done so if someone is able y=to do this it would be very much appreciated.--Paleface Jack (talk) 17:14, 16 December 2017 (UTC)

The summary currently refers to the creature as the Asset, while in the credits he is named the amphibian man. It seems to me that amphibian man is the more neutral name; only the antagonists refer to him as the asset while the protagonists don't name him at all as far as I remember. The NYT review does call him the Asset while other NYT articles about the production (Doug Jones bio, poster artist interview) refers to is as creature, merman, or other things, but not Asset. 2600:1700:F9C0:50E0:3816:A016:BDD5:34C2 (talk) 20:44, 19 December 2017 (UTC)

I agree, and have changed most occurrences of "asset" to "amphibian man". Cullen328 Let's discuss it 18:11, 24 December 2017 (UTC)

Please read WP:LEAD and WP:SPOILER. The function of the lead is to give an overview of the article. Since the bulk of many film pages is the plot (and it's always a substantial portion), it is not acceptable to say, "x is a 2017 movie about a man with a truck." You have to give an overview of the plot, not the most barebones premise conceivable. ―Justin (koavf)❤T☮C☺M☯ 22:43, 11 January 2018 (UTC)

I support conveying just the premise in the lead section as emphasized by reliable sources. There is a similar discussion regarding Three Billboards, where I explain why: WT:FILM#Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Erik (talk | contrib) (ping me) 15:31, 16 January 2018 (UTC)

The 'shape of water' appears to be a direct rip-off of a Dutch computer-generated film called 'the space between us' from 2015.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 103.214.31.17 (talk) 23:46, 12 February 2018 (UTC) 

Do you have a reliable source for this or is it your opinion? - SummerPhDv2.0 02:08, 13 February 2018 (UTC)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEIpzBPUjEo      ... and numerous other links you can have by googling 'the shape of water' is a rip-off of 'the space between us'  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 103.214.31.17 (talk) 03:55, 13 February 2018 (UTC)
To be able to add anything to the article, we would need a reliable source discussing the issue. Comments from various youtube viewers would not be a reliable source. - SummerPhDv2.0 04:00, 13 February 2018 (UTC)
'and numerous other links, etc, etc..' obiter dictum  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 103.214.31.17 (talk) 04:09, 13 February 2018 (UTC)
I would support a section that summarizes the coverage from reliable sources. This is a particularly comprehensive recap about The Space Between Us and now Let Me Hear You Whisper. A search engine test turns up additional sources reporting on these. Erik (talk | contrib) (ping me) 12:56, 13 February 2018 (UTC)

I came here expecting to see a discussion about use of a non-mute actor to play a mute character (although I know she sings at one point). I know that's been controversial related to other disabilities. I guess it's not been a cause of concern - quick google didn't report any boycotting etc --Mortice (talk) 10:44, 18 February 2018 (UTC)

It is very rare for an otherwise healthy young adult with normal hearing to be mute. There is no pool of mute actors to draw on, although there are many deaf actors. Cullen328 Let's discuss it 19:25, 24 February 2018 (UTC)
Rarer still: Mute actors who can sing. - SummerPhDv2.0 19:32, 24 February 2018 (UTC)

We don't know enough to say that Amphibian Man transforms Elisa's scars into gills. Those "scars" may be the remnants of gill slits, and he merely opens them. That is, Elisa may always have had gills. There are suggestions that she shares some ancestry with him: she was found next to a river, her name is Spanish (birthplace not stated, and South America is possible), she lacks the anatomy for human speech, she has an unusual affinity for water. If she's a hybrid, it also helps to explain her attraction to him. Cognita (talk) 19:00, 24 February 2018 (UTC)

Many reliable reviews of the film say that the scars are transformed into gills. I am unaware of any reviews in reliable sources that interpret the film as you have done. You are entitled to your personal theory but it does not belong in the article. Cullen328 Let's discuss it 19:21, 24 February 2018 (UTC)
The theory as stated by Cognita seems to be widely held in online discussion of the film to the point of consensus. The details provided do support the theory, while there seems no contravening evidence shown in the film that would serve to conflict with it. While I've yet to see Del Toro acknowledge it in interviews, I've also yet to see him being asked about it. As it stands, the scale would still tip to the side of the theory holding water (pun intended) until he refutes it. --68.233.191.250 (talk) 19:23, 4 March 2018 (UTC)
We do not report the evaluations of random online fan commentators. Please provide an actual reliable source that reports this consensus, or even a professional  film critic who advances the theory. Cullen328 Let's discuss it 05:05, 6 March 2018 (UTC)
In this Talk page, I summarized what I've read elsewhere, not to advance a theory, but only to explain why I changed the article text to make it more conservative (i.e., safer) in the sense of not going beyond what's actually seen on the screen. I thought the previous version in the article presented an interpretation of what's shown. That interpretation doesn't belong, because it may or may not be what del Toro intended. We see only that Amphibian Man does something at Elisa's neck and she starts breathing. In my opinion, plot summaries should stick to what the viewer can observe. Please note that in the article itself I didn't mention the idea that Elisa isn't fully human.
Since whatever transformation occurs is very quick and the viewer doesn't actually see the scars turning into gills, it seems to me that the statement that they do is the one that would need a source cited.Cognita (talk) 04:41, 11 March 2018 (UTC)
Others speculate that Elisa could be an amphibian-woman who is attracted to a creature from her own background. Here is one example: https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2018/03/05/theres-something-important-you-probably-missed-in-the-shape-of-water/#532b32461aa7. I agree that a plot summary should only describe what the movie itself shows, but since there are many hints that Elisa COULD be at least partly non-human, perhaps those hints should be included in the summary? I think its an interesting speculation which should have a place in the Wiki article.  DaringDonna (talk) 20:27, 24 March 2018 (UTC)

I've recently started an article for the Paul Zindel play Let Me Hear You Whisper (play) that is claimed to be inspiration for the Shape of Water by Zindel's son. Any help with the article and information would be appreciated. Thank you Thriley (talk) 05:43, 27 February 2018 (UTC)

here, the Times should work? It also goes a bit into  the similarities to a 2015 dutch student film, "the space between us"     
http://time.com/5170613/shape-of-water-plagiarism-controversy/
2A02:8109:13C0:39D0:7143:8613:A63A:B086 (talk) 11:55, 3 March 2018 (UTC)

Because HuffPost and TIME magazine describe it as such. Is there a mistake in any of these articles? Or has The Shape of Water become the first sci-fi film to win the Oscar for Best Picture? ----Kailash29792 (talk)  17:36, 5 March 2018 (UTC)

"sci-fi/fantasy romance" is how Variety described it. It's very difficult to pigeonhole this into one genre, but IMO fantasy romance describes it best. Krimuk2.0 (talk) 17:44, 5 March 2018 (UTC)
this being Wikipedia, you probably need to find a verifiable source to label this film as Science Fiction. but it is fiction, and much of it takes place in a government science lab, with one of the major characters being a scientist. There is philosophical debate within the dialog as to the nature of science, with the government scientist (the communist mole) arguing for undirected research and the military types arguing for applied science. And the very premise of an amphibian man is a scientific speculation, with many details in the story fleshing out how such an imagined organism would live. Very fantastic type of science fiction, but most aliens or androids seen in more conventional sci-fi films are no more credible than what we see here. The debate about the purpose of science is more than we get from most sci-fi.
J Edward Malone (talk) 17:43, 23 June 2018 (UTC)


### Genre again
The film genre was described as "supernatural" but the source of this single genre was not clear. An editor changed the genre to romance fantasy drama, without bothering to provide any explanation whatsoever. Another editor later pointed to the BBFC and TIFf as sources for these genres.[1] It isn't unreasonable and at least a source was eventually provided but it is generally better to list a primary genre and maybe a secondary genre, three genres seem unnecessary and indulgent. I tend to agree with the suggestion above, fantasy romance  per Variety magazine. -- 109.77.195.51 (talk) 16:16, 1 July 2020 (UTC)

Three genres added again[2] but at least this time with an edit summary saying it was based on the BFI. Still seems excessive. -- 109.79.172.81 (talk) 03:36, 7 March 2021 (UTC)

The similarity between the main character here and "Blue" from Hellboy is surely worth mentioning. I don't know enough about these movies to write it myself, though. - Richard Cavell (talk) 21:28, 5 March 2018 (UTC)

I get it, Del Toro directed both projects and it makes sense that people some people would make that connection, but they both owe their origins to the much older Creature from the Black Lagoon which the article already noted. -- 109.76.137.4 (talk) 19:55, 5 May 2020 (UTC)

I oppose the proposed change as needless. It is a film, no? 
AgentCachet (talk) 14:02, 7 March 2018 (UTC)

AgentCachet, on Wikipedia, we sometimes try to establish the primary topic that requires no disambiguation term added to the article title. In this case, readers who search for "The Shape of Water" have to land at a disambiguation page where it is much more likely that they are looking for the 2017 film than the 1994 novel. Essentially, it saves them a step and gets them where they want more directly. If there is a small chance they are looking for the 1994 novel's article, the 2017 film's article will have a hatnote pointing them the right way. It's really a matter of convenience, and the film's article being under The Shape of Water is not going to be surprising to the vast majority of the readership. Erik (talk | contrib) (ping me) 14:33, 7 March 2018 (UTC)

isn't this the color of water the book in 1995?75.171.10.90 (talk) 07:47, 11 March 2018 (UTC)

The Color of Water is not related to this film. - SummerPhDv2.0 16:12, 11 March 2018 (UTC)

Zelda's African-American-ness is an important subtext in the plot. Both she and Eliza are seen by the dominant whites running the project as almost subhumans, cleaning up the "piss" etc. In part because of their job, and in part because Eliza is mute and Zelda is African-American. This would be an important context in 1962, especially in a marginally southern city such as Baltimore was then. Note the little scene where another well-dressed African-American couple are refused service at a luncheonette. The marginality of the two women feeds into the dismissal by the authorities of their incapacity to help the Amphibian escape. The racial and social class subtexts of the movie are fascinating--more than just a fantasy romance. (Just as in del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, Spanish fascism supplied the context.) Bellagio99 (talk) 17:05, 18 April 2018 (UTC)

I get that this is an important theme but does it need to be mentioned in the Plot summary, the Cast section, and again in Casting? Octavia Spencer herself pointing out the significance in the Casting section is great, not sure the other two cases are entirely necessary. -- 109.78.203.194 (talk) 05:00, 6 May 2020 (UTC)
Likewise, in the character of Giles, dealing with his sexual orientation as hinted at in the film, especially in the diner when he touched the racist counter guy's arm and the counter guy reacted like he was bitten by a snake and threw Giles out. Also, his stated loneliness, calling Eliza his only friend (presumably attached to his orientation). Do any sources explore this aspect of the film? Thank you, Wordreader (talk) 04:03, 10 August 2020 (UTC)
I think mentioning these details about the characters in the Casting section is fine. I'm not convinced any more than that is necessary. -- 109.77.219.141 (talk) 15:55, 12 September 2020 (UTC)

This review is transcluded from Talk:The Shape of Water/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.
Reviewer: Kncny11 (talk · contribs) 17:32, 1 July 2021 (UTC)

Hello! I'll be reviewing this article as part of the July 2021 good article nominations backlog drive! Any section that I've marked with a  Working tag means that I haven't finished leaving comments there, but you're free to begin making changes as soon as you see them! Kncny11 (shoot) 17:32, 1 July 2021 (UTC)


### Infobox and lede
Vanessa Taylor's work on the screenplay should be mentioned in the body
 Done Added. Some Dude From North Carolina (talk) 17:05, 5 July 2021 (UTC)
Just as in the body, link "mute" to Mutism
 Done Linked. Some Dude From North Carolina (talk) 17:05, 5 July 2021 (UTC)
"many calling it del Toro's best work since Pan's Labyrinth" not mentioned in body
 Done Removed. Some Dude From North Carolina (talk) 17:05, 5 July 2021 (UTC)
Most of the third paragraph, actually, needs to be placed in the body somewhere
 Done Some Dude From North Carolina (talk) 17:05, 5 July 2021 (UTC)


### Plot
Pipe "mute" to Muteness
"at a secret government laboratory in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1962 (during the Cold War)" → "By 1962, during the Cold War, Esposito works as a cleaner at a secret government laboratory in Baltimore, Maryland."
Comma after "same time every day"
WL egg timer
"The facility receives a mysterious creature captured from a South American river by Colonel Richard Strickland, who is in charge of the project, to study it." → "Colonel Richard Strickland has just captured a mysterious creature from a South American river and has taken the creature to the Baltimore facility for further study."
"simultaneously is ordered" → "is simultaneously ordered"
"Elisa keeps the Amphibian Man in her bathtub, planning to release him into a nearby canal in several days when it is scheduled to rain to provide access to the ocean." → "Eliza plans to release the Amphibian Man into a nearby canal when heavy rain will allow access to the ocean. In the meantime, she keeps him in her bathtub."
"Eliza has sex with the Amphibian Man" → "Eliza continues to develop her romantic relationship with the Amphibian Man, culminating in sexual intercourse."
All  Done Some Dude From North Carolina (talk) 17:06, 5 July 2021 (UTC)


### Cast
Don't quote me on this, but I think that whether or not a cast has to be cited depends on whether there's elaboration given beyond the names
In any case, definitely need a source for anything uncredited (like Del Toro as the vocal effects)
All  Done Some Dude From North Carolina (talk) 17:09, 5 July 2021 (UTC)


### Production
#### Development
"The idea for The Shape of Water formed during del Toro's breakfast with Daniel Kraus in December 2011, with whom he later co-wrote the novel Trollhunters." → "Guillermo del Toro formed the idea for The Shape of Water over breakfast in December 2011 with Daniel Kraus, his future collaborator on the novel Trollhunters."
Swap the order of things so that the Black Lagoon inspiration (the primary inspiration) comes before The Space Between Us
Can you elaborate more on "today's heightened tensions"?
All  Done Some Dude From North Carolina (talk) 17:17, 5 July 2021 (UTC)


#### Casting
"in mind for the part" → "in mind for the female lead"
"she was told by Del Toro to watch" → "Del Toro told her to watch"
Comma after "with Ian McKellen in mind"
"who directed" → "the director of"
Can you include something on the casting of Doug Jones as the Amphibian Man, since he forms the other lead and has a long history of working with Del Toro?
All  Done Some Dude From North Carolina (talk) 17:38, 5 July 2021 (UTC)


#### Filming
No comma needed after "Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres"
WL facade
Here, he is referred to as "del Toro", whereas elsewhere it is "Del Toro"
All  Done Some Dude From North Carolina (talk) 17:38, 5 July 2021 (UTC)


#### Visuals
Section ends abruptly. Clarify that he did ultimately film in color
 Done Some Dude From North Carolina (talk) 22:02, 6 July 2021 (UTC)


### Soundtrack
A little thin right now. I found interviews from Desplat here and here that might provide some weight.
 Done Some Dude From North Carolina (talk) 22:02, 6 July 2021 (UTC)


### Release
The source for Telluride, etc. only mentions the Toronto Film Festival screening
The information about its USA release is incorrect, as the article says that it's slated for wide release on December 8
WL wide release
The "home media" subhead is only one sentence right now. I found an article here about the 4K release and some of the added details going into making that, as well as the extra features
All  Done Some Dude From North Carolina (talk) 21:09, 6 July 2021 (UTC)


### Reception
"following its four Oscar wins, the film made an additional $2.4 million."
 Done Some Dude From North Carolina (talk) 17:45, 5 July 2021 (UTC)


#### Box office
Fine


#### Critical response
Switch the comma after "positive reviews" to a semicolon
"PostTrak reported that filmgoers"
"Guillermo" → "Del Toro"
All  Done Some Dude From North Carolina (talk) 17:43, 5 July 2021 (UTC)


#### Accolades
"The film also spawned some debate about whether the fact that it was filmed in Canada, with a predominantly Canadian crew and many Canadian actors in the supporting roles, should have made it eligible to be nominated for the Canadian Screen Awards." → "The film also sparked some debate about whether it should have been eligible for a Canadian Screen Awards nomination, as it was filmed in Canada with a predominantly Canadian crew and many Canadian actors in supporting roles."
Comma after "rules for international coproductions"
Give a few examples of top-ten lists it ended up on, particularly of #1s
All  Done Some Dude From North Carolina (talk) 17:42, 5 July 2021 (UTC)


#### Plagiarism accusations
Move reference to end of sentence for "Other observers vehemently disagree with Jeunet's assertion."
"objects as well the music which is a reminiscent of" → "objects, as well as the music, which is reminiscent of"
All  Done Some Dude From North Carolina (talk) 17:40, 5 July 2021 (UTC)


### References
In [22], Toronto Life Magazine should be changed from publisher to work
 Done Some Dude From North Carolina (talk) 17:39, 5 July 2021 (UTC)


### General comments
Images are either free or tagged for use, and are relevant to the article
No visible edit warring or other instability
Earwig score comes up high due to mirror sites. Of actual articles, most of the high % are due to attributed direct quotes.
Overall, a good start, but I have some concerns about broadness and original research. I hope the leads I've given you have been helpful. Since this is an expansion-heavy request, ping me when you're finished and I'll do another prose look-over. Let me know if you have any questions, and for the time being, I'll be placing this article on hold. Kncny11 (shoot) 17:25, 2 July 2021 (UTC)

@Kncny11: All done. Some Dude From North Carolina (talk) 22:02, 6 July 2021 (UTC)
Some Dude From North Carolina Thank you for making those changes, particularly the vague "expand here" comments. Passing now. — GhostRiver 21:50, 8 July 2021 (UTC)

I feel something has been lost by reducing the Cast section to only the names.[4] I suppose some of the descriptive text could still be mentioned elsewhere such as the casting section. For example, if you look at the past discussions above some people felt it was very important to (repeatedly) highlight that Zelda is African American. 
The GA reviewer said: "Don't quote me on this, but I think that whether or not a cast has to be cited depends on whether there's elaboration given beyond the names" 
Before a film is released any cast information must be based on reliable sources to avoid speculation, see WP:CRYSTAL. 
After a film has been released the film itself serves as the source for the cast members, the actors and the character names. Reference can be removed after a film has been released but they are often left there anyway.  
Additional details or descriptions beyond what can easily be proven based on the film itself and the film credits, may still require references. 
I posted this separately because sometimes people get annoyed if I add directly to the GA Review discussions and it's easier to start a new section. -- 109.76.144.63 (talk) 02:29, 7 July 2021 (UTC)

The baby has been thrown out with the bathwater... the explanation that Richard Jenkins character Giles was gay were removed and after that the LGBT categories have been removed too.[5] I understand that categories are supposed to be verifiable and not added indiscriminately but again I think something has been lost here, and that casual readers would benefit if the brief character descriptions were restored. -- 109.76.137.229 (talk) 04:03, 27 November 2021 (UTC)
Without digging deep into the article history the Casting subsection of the Production section is much better and more descriptive than I remember it being before, not as much has been lost as I previously thought. The LGBT categories should probably be restored though (i.e. revert this diff). -- 109.76.137.229 (talk) 04:08, 27 November 2021 (UTC)

I've included a bit about "The Space Between Us" in this section. The students nor the NFA ever really accused del Toro of plagiarism, but the similarities were mentioned relatively frequently by outlets while covering the people who did make such accusations. Outlets covering this wrote "did he plagiarize these students" type of headlines, so it's one of the films associated with the claims surrounding the movie, even if the creators absolved him of any guilt.  ReaderofthePack(formerly Tokyogirl79) (｡◕‿◕｡) 12:41, 26 April 2023 (UTC)

the genres for the shape of water are:
Historical fiction (takes elements from the 60s--the cold war [soviet union and the U.S.])
Romantic fantasy (romance between main character and the Amphibian Man)
Drama (drama film)
There is no horror in the film. There is no thriller part. It is a historical romantic fantasy drama. can there please be some agreement? 135.180.198.103 (talk) 18:08, 13 October 2023 (UTC)

Genres on Wikipedia come from published reviews. All genres must be supported by reliable sources. The only agreement to be settled here is whether too much or too little emphasis is placed on a particular genre, and folks here would typically point to various sources to make their case. Binksternet (talk) 19:43, 13 October 2023 (UTC)

New contributor here, please disregard if this is not an actual problem. 
Something feels off to me about the Thematic Analysis section of this article. It reads more like a college level English essay than a Wikipedia article. I would suggest shortening it significantly and editing to maintain a neutral POV on what the themes are, and I can work on that if it would be beneficial.
The section makes claims about the themes of the movie without inline citations or direct quotations of the cited material, making it seem as if the POV of the cited source is the POV of Wikipedia itself. Additionally, it cites seemingly low-quality sources (non-peer-reviewed Youtube videos) for its conclusions without directly quoting the videos and naming the speaker. BXSwiki (talk) 18:50, 16 October 2025 (UTC)