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The Shape of Water
2017 123 min United States of America R 18+
★8.1
Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Director: Guillermo del Toro
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Description
An other-worldly story, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962, where a mute janitor working at a lab falls in love with an amphibious man being held captive there and devises a plan to help him escape.
Budget:
$19.5M
US Gross:
$63.86M
Worldwide:
$195.3M
Starring
Sally Hawkins
Actor
Octavia Spencer
Actor
Michael Shannon
Actor
Awards
Venice Film Festival 2017
— Future Film Festival Digital Award
Academy Awards 2018
— Best Production Design
Saturn Awards 2018
— Best Fantasy Film
Academy Awards 2018
— Best Production Design
Academy Awards 2018
— Best Film Editing
Academy Awards 2018
— Best Sound Editing
Saturn Awards 2018
— Best Director
Saturn Awards 2018
— Best Fantasy Film
BAFTA 2018
— Best Sound
BAFTA 2018
— Best Visual Effects
Golden Globe 2018
— Best Picture (Drama)
Golden Globe 2018
— Best Actress (Drama)
Golden Globe 2018
— Best Supporting Actor
Academy Awards 2018
— Best Picture
Academy Awards 2018
— Best Supporting Actor
Saturn Awards 2018
— Best Actress
Saturn Awards 2018
— Best Supporting Actress
Saturn Awards 2018
— Best Film Editing
Saturn Awards 2018
— Best Production Design
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2018
— Best Actress
Academy Awards 2018
— Best Screenplay
BAFTA 2018
— Best Cinematography
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2018
— Best Supporting Actor
Academy Awards 2018
— Best Director
BAFTA 2018
— David Lean Award for Direction
Academy Awards 2018
— Best Original Score
Academy Awards 2018
— Best Actress
Academy Awards 2018
— Best Supporting Actress
Academy Awards 2018
— Best Cinematography
Academy Awards 2018
— Best Costume Design
Academy Awards 2018
— Best Sound
Golden Globe 2018
— Best Director
Golden Globe 2018
— Best Original Score
Golden Globe 2018
— Best Supporting Actress
Venice Film Festival 2017
— Golden Lion
Venice Film Festival 2017
— Soundtrack Stars Award
Golden Eagle 2019
— Best International Feature Film
BAFTA 2018
— Best Original Score
BAFTA 2018
— Best Production Design
BAFTA 2018
— Best Picture
BAFTA 2018
— Best Actress
BAFTA 2018
— Best Supporting Actress
BAFTA 2018
— Best Original Screenplay
BAFTA 2018
— Best Film Editing
Saturn Awards 2018
— Best Screenplay
Saturn Awards 2018
— Best Original Score
Saturn Awards 2018
— Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Key opinion
Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water is widely celebrated for its lush visual aesthetic and compelling central performances, particularly that of Sally Hawkins. While many view it as a heartfelt fairy-tale exploration of love and outsider status, others criticize the narrative as derivative, overstuffed, or burdened by heavy-handed social commentary.
| Acting | Sally Hawkins anchors the film with a deeply expressive, wordless performance that creates a genuine emotional connection with the creature. | |
| Production | The production design and vibrant color palette create an immersive, dreamlike Cold War atmosphere that functions as an essential narrative element. | |
| Score | Alexandre Desplat’s evocative score effectively complements the film's fantasy elements and heightens its emotional resonance. | |
| Theme | While some find the thematic exploration of love and societal intolerance profound, others feel the film’s social messaging is heavy-handed and disrupts the narrative flow. | |
| Pacing | The film's pacing is a subject of debate; some find the deliberate, contemplative tempo rewarding, while others perceive the second half as dragging and overstuffed with unnecessary side characters. | |
| Originality | Critics are divided on the originality of the plot, with some praising its classic fairy-tale structure and others dismissing it as a derivative, formulaic rehash of 80s creature-feature tropes. |