Sol Garcia | THE RIDER
Ever since I first watched “Pan’s Labyrinth” as a young child, I have made it a personal goal to watch all of Guillermo del Toro’s films. His vision to create hauntingly beautiful, yet sinister scenes with the perfect color schemes is done so gracefully. This weekend, I finally viewed his “Shape of Water,” and del Toro’s reputation continues to be well deserved. Mostly.
Released in 2017, “The Shape of Water” stars Sally Hawkins as Elisa Esposito, a mute cleaner at a government laboratory. She has her life scheduled out–literally. She goes to work, spends time with her neighbor, Giles, and enjoys time to herself. Her only other friend is her coworker, Zelda, who is played by Octavia Spencer. Her life sticks to the same routine every day until she learns about the Amphibian Man. The Amphibian Man is a humanlike sea creature that government officials at Elisa’s workplace are cruelly planning to vivisect.
Elisa starts to secretly visit the Amphibian Man, teaching him sign language, introducing him to music and offering him food. Soon, Elisa and the Amphibian Man form a bond only they can understand. When the Amphibian Man’s life is threatened, it is up to Elisa to save him with the help of her friends.
Right away, the color schemes set the mood in the most pleasing manner possible. Set in 1962, teal can be spotted everywhere, from the bathroom walls and the bus to the antagonist’s new car. Most striking is the scene where Elisa floods her bathroom so she and the Amphibian Man can share an intimate moment in a combination of each other’s environments. The musical score is excellently apt to each scene, with Elisa even having a daydream where she breaks into song to express her deep love for the Amphibian Man.
“The Shape of Water” is easily one of the most beautiful movies I have recently watched, but it is not exempt from faults. When Elisa begs Giles to help her save the Amphibian Man, she tells him, “He does not know what I lack or how I am incomplete.” Do we really need to see another disabled person feel as if they are somehow missing something because of their disability? Elisa’s inability to speak does not mean she is any less whole. Also, Hawkins played Eliza terrifically, but it is hard to imagine there were not any equally capable mute actresses.
Spoiler alert!
In the finale, Elisa plans to let the Amphibian Man go. He needs to be set free from danger, even if it means losing her only love. With sorrow written all over her, Elisa says goodbye. However, by a vicious turn of fate, she is shot, and the Amphibian Man takes the unconscious Elisa with him for an underwater life after healing himself from his own gunshot. Giles, the perfect narrator, lets us hope the couple are having a happily ever after. It is an incredibly romantic and touching scene, but are we supposed to forget Elisa was not planning on leaving behind her human life?
As weird as the plot sounds, it makes more sense when it is discovered that Elisa may actually have been a descendant or child of creatures like the Amphibian Man.
If that relationship seems too unsettling, the other characters are worth watching the movie for. The side characters were able to tell their own stories in this two-hour film. Giles is an artist whose life is escaping him by the second. Where has the time gone? He is also gay, and while that is focused on, it is not what defines him. Zelda is a Black woman who constantly tells Elisa about her husband’s laziness or other bad manners. When she is threatened, she is not the one who gives up Elisa’s name. It is her husband who does, a man, and Zelda shows how furious she is at him. She does not cower from confrontation.
Both Elisa and Zelda are shown as strong women who are also open about sexuality. When Elisa reveals she and the Amphibian Man have had sexual relations, Zelda does not shame her for it. She is completely free from judgement, which is so refreshing to see.
The fact that both Giles and Zelda have major voices in this movie when they are both from marginalized communities makes this film even more beautiful. The depictions of both homophobia and racism cannot and should not be missed. The theme that humans can be the cruelest monster is just as clear.
Rated R, the movie depicts nudity, sexual content and blood.
“The Shape of Water,” available on Hulu, receives the sunny rating of: ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼
Reviews are based on five suns.
