{"id":1114,"date":"2018-10-24T09:12:05","date_gmt":"2018-10-24T14:12:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/academics.winona.edu\/povwinona\/?p=1114"},"modified":"2018-10-24T14:46:01","modified_gmt":"2018-10-24T19:46:01","slug":"review-the-shape-of-water-2017-dir-guillermo-del-toro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/academics.winona.edu\/povwinona\/review-the-shape-of-water-2017-dir-guillermo-del-toro\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: The Shape of Water (2017, dir. Guillermo del Toro)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Throughout\u00a0our Resilience film series<\/a>\u00a0we’ve enjoyed visually-stunning and emotionally-driven documentaries and fictional works. Our most recent screening featured the 2018 Academy award winner for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Score and Best Production Design, The Shape of Water<\/em> (2017), directed by the well-known auteur Guillermo del Toro. This romantic dark fantasy was inspired by del Toro’s childhood memories of watching Creature from the Black Lagoon<\/em> (1954, dir. Jack Arnold), especially the romance between the Creature and a human woman, Kay (Julie Adams).\u00a0 How does the unlikely romance in\u00a0The Shape of Water<\/em> depict resilience?\u00a0 In at least three ways: Elisa’s challenges to communicate; her rebellion against the social conformity of the early 1960s; and her quest for a meaningful–if a bit non-normative!–romantic and sexual relationship.<\/p>\n

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Elisa (Sally Hawkins) and amphibian man (Doug Jones) form a bond by communicating through sign language.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Shape of Water<\/em> tells the story of a mute custodian–back then, called a “cleaning lady”–Elisa (Sally Hawkins) who befriends and longs to save an amphibian creature (Doug Jones) from the corrupt research facility where he is being contained by the cruel Colonel Strickland (Michael Shannon). Elisa struggles to relate to everyone around her on the daily until she starts communicating with the creature through sign language as well as music and dance. With help and support from her best friend and roommate Giles (Richard Jenkins) and her coworker Zelda (Octavia Spencer), she is able to find love.<\/p>\n

As the creature–credited as “Amphibian Man”–Doug Jones is a favorite of del Toro’s and an iconic presence, mostly for his incredibly long fingers, lanky stature and towering height, perfect for any fantasy film. In The Shape of Water<\/em>, his prosthetics and body suit glow with a blue shimmer when his powers engage.\u00a0 For his unusual appearance, he’s a commanding–and to Elisa, especially, an attractive–presence.\u00a0 In del Toro’s Hellboy<\/em>\u00a0(2004), Jones played Abe Sapien, an intelligent anthropomorphic being able to speak like a man but who must live in or around water, using his lanky body to swim. In Pan’s Labyrinth<\/em> (2006), he played Fauno, again with the long fingers and lanky, stringy figure he has, as well as the Pale Man whose eyeballs appear in the palm of his hands, forming a grotesque face. Jones seems to bring to life these magical creatures from del Toro’s imagination.<\/p>\n

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IDoug Jones is known for his long fingers, lanky figure and towering height. Left: Amphibian man. Middle: Doug Jones. Right: Pale Man.<\/p><\/div>\n

While Jones is the film’s visual center, the narrative–and the theme of resilience–is all primarily about Elisa.\u00a0 She is as the “princess without voice,” one who cannot verbally communicate as well as one who has no say in her daily life, considering she is a lonely woman in a male-dominated society. She becomes agitated when she tries to convey her feelings, non-verbally, to Giles about being in love with the creature. In response, he leaves and refuses to listen. Medium close-ups help draw focus on how Hawkins’ character is feeling, along with quick subtitles that correspond to what she is signing. Elisa has lived with being mute her entire life and is ashamed of the scars around her neck, isolating her further from society. Instead of succumbing to stress, she depicts resilience by confronting her problem and making choices–despite the risks they entail.<\/p>\n