Rating of
3/4
Tenderness in Uexpected Romance
cacb3995 - wrote on 01/17/18
I’ve seen Guillermo del Toro’s latest phantasy drama, cold war era period piece, interspecies romance: a delightful celebration of love in and of itself. Emerging as an early Oscar frontrunner, the film tells the story of Elisa (Sally Hawkins), a mute woman who works at a government’s facility as a cleaning lady in the early 1960s. She discovers that in the facilities a marine creature (Doug Jones) of an unknown species is being held captive. Colonel Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon) pretends to dissect this creature in order to gain favour from his superiors, something that Elisa isn’t willing to let happen.
Del Toro moves away from the mecha-kaiju spectacle to the territory in which he operates best, and that is a fantasy drama that is sweet and deeply personal. His vision transpires into the film, building this world that lives and breathes and becomes all too real as the film progresses. Aiding him at making this task possible are cinematographer Dan Laustsen and production designers Austerberry, Melvin and Vieau. Their work brings to life del Toro’s vision, a match that fits seamlessly. Also, Alexander Desplat’s score is sweetly melodic and powerful when is due. Expect these men to be rewarded when the Academy Award nominations are announced later this month, and maybe even a couple of wins when the ceremony finally arrives.
Full review at: breakingthefourthwallsite.wordpress.com/2018/01/16/the-shape-of-water-tenderness-in-unexpected-love/
