Fiction

The Shape of Water

Guillermo del Toro
USA 2017
119 min
V'17

The film follows Elisa, a mute and isolated woman who works as a cleaning lady in a high-security government laboratory in the dead of night in the midst of the Cold War. Her life is forever changed with the arrival of the lab’s classified secret, a mysterious, scaled creature dragged out of his home in South America by deranged army man Strickland. As Elisa develops a delicate and sexual bond with her new companion, she soon learns of its fate. It’s up to Elisa and her friends to save him.
The film is a delectable feast for the eyes, with frames that bleed in green, algae that builds in the corners and comes from every available crevice. The blues and grays fill the picture, making even the driest of scenes feel as if they’re submerged ten feet under water. The ode to old cinema direction by Del Toro mixed with the lush and haunting cinematography by Dan Lausten creates a film that’s timeless in its atmosphere. (Allyson Johnson)

Credits
  • Sally Hawkins - Elisa Esposito
  • Michael Shannon - Strickland
  • Richard Jenkins - Giles
  • Octavia Spencer - Zelda
  • Michael Stuhlbarg - Mr. Robert Hoffstetler
  • Doug Jones - Amphibious man
  • Guillermo del Toro
  • Vanessa Taylor
  • Dan Lausten
  • Nathan Robitaille
  • Sidney Wolinsky
  • Alexandre Desplat
  • Paul D. Austerberry
  • Luis Sequeira
Fox Searchlight Pictures, Bull Productions

20th Century Fox

20th Century Fox
DCP
col
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