The Shape of Water is certified fresh

Movie Title: The Shape of Water

Grade: A-

Rating: R, 119 minutes

In a Nutshell: Certified fresh! This “adult fairy tale” was produced, directed, and written by Guillermo Del Toro. The film combines a love story with science fiction and Cold War drama. Some critics have likened it to Beauty And The Beast meets Creature from the Black Lagoon. It’s odd, for sure.

This film has received more Oscar nominations than any other film! Many of them are technical noms. We’ll see how many they win.

Tips for parents:

This movie is rated R for a reason. It’s not appropriate for children’s viewing.
A LOT of full frontal nudity of a woman. Another woman opens her shirt to reveal her bare chest.
Woman pleasures herself in a bathtub
Crude language, F-bombs, and profanity
You see a married couple have sex.
You learn sign language for some words.
Racism
Homosexuality
Hypocrisy
Hope, compassion, humanity

Uplifting theme:

Feeling incomplete and unfulfilled in life and how we fill that void.
Love can’t be defined.
Humanity, outsiders
Friendship, loyalty

Things I liked:

Sally Hawkins gives a really great performance with no words. Guillermo Del Toro said that he wrote the movie with only her in mind. Her character’s last name is “Esposito” which is Italian, given to orphaned children, meaning “exposed” or “abandoned.”
Michael Shannon is fantastic, as always. He successfully makes you hate his guts.
The talented ensemble also includes Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, and Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer.
Some people watch a classic scene from a Shirley Temple movie. Music and dance play a role in the movie.
Beautiful production design with incredible colors. It uses practically every shade of green.
I loved the Old Hollywood nods to lots of other movies.
A surprising musical number.
Doug Jones spent three hours every day to get into his costume.

Things I didn’t like:

Way too much nudity, awkward sex, and crude language.
The end is pretty predictable.
A bit of a creepy love affair.

Interesting lines:

“He’s not even human.” – Giles (Richard Jenkins)

“If we do nothing, neither are we.” – Elisa Esposito (Sally Hawkins)

“Life is but the shipwreck of our plans.” – Daily Thought
“I’m not a good liar…except Bruster. It takes a lot of lies to keep a marriage going.” – Zelda (Octavia Spencer)