By MARK
O’CALLAGHAN
Staff Writer
Recently, “The Shape of Water” racked up 13 nominations for the 90th Academy Awards. It’s directed by Guillermo del Toro who has become a name stay for cinematic art and has become an auteur in his own right. When watching the movie, there’s no question why it has so many nominations.
This is a Del Toro movie that’s just dripping with beautiful atmosphere and has a bit of that fairy tale edge to it. You have Eliza (Sally Hawkins) falling in love, but it’s not traditional as she falls in love with the monster. Which isn’t a bad thing because you really do feel for them. The chemistry that Sally Hawkins and Doug Jones have especially with all the makeup is marvelous. We feel passionate about the monster because of Del Toro dedication to showing what he likes about them.
We see discrimination of minorities, people with disabilities and homosexuals as the monster gets treated badly because of his uncertain appearance. It’s not done in an overtly preachy way as the message gets through without comprising the characters and story.
Speaking of characters, the movie has a great ensemble. Sally Hawkins is glowing despite being mute and having no speaking lines. She conveys a variety of emotions without ever speaking. A seemingly difficult way of acting was turned into a simple task because of Hawkins making it look effortless. Combine with the wonderful chemistry she has with everyone, especially Jones, makes her a frontrunner for Best Actress. Richard Jenkins and Octavia Spencer show why they got nominated for their great supporting roles. Both of them not only support Eliza, but support the movie in its development..
The score composed by Alexandre Desplat is amazing. Never have I quickly went to Spotify just to download the entire score. It has this French and Italian romantic feel to it.
Guillermo del Toro has always had this fascination with monsters and it’s brought to life in “The Shape of Water.” Every element is knocked out of the park to deliver one of the best films of 2017. Definitely, check it out before the Oscars.
