The Shape of Water (2017)
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Screenwriters: Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor
Starring: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Stuhlbarg, Doug Jones
Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water is a modern fairy tale that blends fantasy, romance, and classic monster-movie tropes into a lush, emotionally resonant film. Known for previous works such as The Devil’s Backbone, Hellboy and Pan’s Labyrinth, del Toro returns with a story that is both intimate and expansive: a Cold War–era fable about otherness, love, and the human impulse to fear what we do not understand.
The film centers on Elisa (Sally Hawkins), a mute janitor working at a secret government facility where a mysterious amphibious creature is held for study. Discovered by U.S. researchers at the height of the Cold War, the creature is treated as a specimen to be exploited for military and space ambitions. Elisa, marginalized by society because of her class and disability, forms a quietly powerful bond with the creature. Their relationship becomes the emotional core of a film that challenges our assumptions about monstrousness, prejudice, and belonging.
Del Toro’s storytelling excels at reversing familiar narratives: the so-called monster becomes sympathetic, while the true menace is the human capacity for cruelty and fear. That inversion allows the film to be read on multiple levels. It works as a romance and a melodrama, but it also functions as a commentary on sexism, masculinity, homophobia, racism, and the corrosive ambitions of Cold War politics. Because Elisa cannot speak, she becomes a receptive figure onto whom viewers can project their own experiences of exclusion and resilience, making the film personally resonant for a wide audience.
Visually, The Shape of Water is a technical triumph. Del Toro and his cinematography team use light and shadow to evoke classic Hollywood while keeping the palette rich and contemporary. The film often feels like an old black-and-white melodrama translated into color: shadows and highlights guide the emotional tone of scenes, and carefully composed lighting choices create a sense of timelessness. This visual approach enhances the fairy-tale atmosphere, inviting viewers to suspend disbelief and inhabit the film’s mythic world.
The film’s score complements its imagery with restrained whimsy. Wind instruments and melodic motifs underscore tension and tenderness in equal measure, giving many sequences the feeling of a musical fable. The music never overwhelms the narrative; instead, it weaves into the emotional fabric of the film, reinforcing the themes of longing and wonder.
Casting is one of the film’s great strengths. Sally Hawkins delivers a deeply expressive performance without dialogue, conveying vulnerability, strength, and longing through subtle gestures and facial nuance. Michael Shannon plays the antagonist with a raw, threatening presence; his performance is unrelenting and provides a clear dramatic counterpoint to Elisa’s compassion. Octavia Spencer brings warmth and grounded humanity as Elisa’s friend, while Richard Jenkins portrays a lonely neighbor whose own hidden struggles create a poignant parallel to the central relationship. Doug Jones’s physical performance as the creature is essential: his movements balance animal instinct with a childlike curiosity, making the creature believable and sympathetic.
Beyond performances and visuals, The Shape of Water is personal for del Toro—an homage to cinema itself. The film celebrates the power of movies to provide escape, hope, and empathy in difficult times. That love for film is woven into every frame, creating an experience that feels like both an ode to classic genre cinema and a wholly original work.
The Shape of Water stands as one of del Toro’s most accomplished films: emotionally generous, visually sumptuous, and thematically rich. It asks viewers to reconsider fear and prejudice, to look with compassion at those who are different, and to find beauty in unexpected places. For anyone interested in fantasy romance, creature features with heart, or striking cinematic craft, this film is a powerful and memorable experience.
Score: 23/24
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