The Shape of Water

Guillermo del Toro is basically kind of a demented Jim Henson. He likes telling fairytales, and he even tells them in a very fairytale sort of manner with the dreamy way that he directs, but he also adds a sinister side that makes you wonder whether or not he's disturbed. Overall, I'd say that The Shape of Water is a bit more feel-good than his average fairytale. In a nutshell, it's basically Beauty and the Beast but with the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and it has the same positive feelings that come from that tale.

While the story isn't original, it's very well-edited. No scene lasts too long, and each segment of the story lingers for just the right amount of time before moving on to the next segment. Guillermo uses some clever editing techniques within each scene that makes them flow more and really relax the audience. In the third act, something happens that reminds me of last year's La La Land. Overall, he knows all of the tools that even most seasons pros don't always learn. He also understands his cinematography like few people do, giving his movie a deep, rich color pallet that doesn't call attention to itself (as a Wes Anderson production might), but will mesmerize most viewers without them understanding why. He uses some great long takes, and finds great ways of moving and framing his camera. The film score by Desplat swept me away to another plane of blissful existence. The production designs facilitate the flow and the color of the cinematography, and feel just detached from reality enough that this movie exists in its own world. The characters are written in just the right way to make a unique impression and also seamlessly blend in with the story. It helps that every single actor knocked it out of the park. Guillermo's been nominated for Best Director because of this film, and I think that he's the leading candidate for winning, because of how well he puts together all of these elements to serve a film with a solid, difficult-to-replicate identity. Fittingly, the end product is very fluid.

Throughout the movie, I got this nostalgic feel for some old movies from my childhood, and although I haven't seen it since I was around six years old, I have a vague memory of Babe: Pig in the City using similar cinematic language as this. Something also reminded me of Ratatouille, Edward Scissorhands, James and the Giant Peach, and Matilda, and a few other captivating children's films with that very particular atmosphere. However, take all of those and add a hard R rating. It covers themes of sexuality extensively, and of course delivers on some of those themes visually. I appreciate the artistry behind it, as does del Toro's base, but most people I know are not very comfortable with seeing too much of that onscreen. There's also some very disturbing gore. It doesn't reach Mel Gibson levels, but in some ways that makes it worse, because it's easier to imagine the pain that the characters go through. Anyone who has worked in an industrial environment might find themselves immediately familiar with the character who loses two fingers and has to get them sewn back on, only to develop a painful infection. My mother once had a fishhook caught in her eyelid and would take no pleasure in the scene where a character gets dragged across the ground when someone hooks a finger through a bullet-hole in his cheek. Also, there's swearing, but I think that this should be the least of anyone's concerns at this point. If you want something that has childlike creativity but also exists in a very adult world, this movie works quite well to that end.

One last thing that I should mention: the credits acknowledges the Triple Crown of OCD Directors for lending a helping hand in the filmmaking process: Cameron, Cuarón, and Iñárritu. Guillermo is in good company, and I personally think that this 2010's decade should continue in the trend of acknowledging the talents of the great and surreal Mexican directors who have proven to be some of the greatest dreamers of cinema.