My thoughts on The Shape of Water (2017)

Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Written by: Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor
Starring: Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon

Most stories are about transformation. A character starts one way and by the end they're a different person. Elisa's transformation at the end of The Shape of Water is literal. After being shot in the chest and plunging into the deep, the Amphibian Man's healing magic not only cures her bullet wound, but the conveniently placed scars on her neck. The cause of her being mute becomes a strength as they turn into gills and allow her to breath underwater.

The Amphibian Man's touch is one of healing. He rests his hand on the top of Giles' head and cures him of his baldness. Holding Giles' cut arm causes the injury to disappear. This is an outer power, and it is what saves not only his life, but Elisa's. Elisa possesses an inner power. She is able to rally people to her aid. All of her friends feel alienated in the world. Giles is a homosexual, and Zelda is a black woman before the civil rights movement. Elisa, being mute feels at home amongst people who don't fit in, and perhaps that's why she falls in love with the Amphibian Man. Elisa is even able to reach Strickland. Of course he reads it wrong and becomes infatuated with a woman who can't talk back to him, but if the scene with General Hoyt is any indication, Strickland feels disillusioned as well. He is not allowed to make mistakes. His family and the possessions he buys bring him no joy, and to top it all off, his fingers are rotting away.

When the Amphibian Man is brought in he bites off two of Strickland's fingers. Elisa recovers them, and they are surgically reattached. Throughout the film they grow blacker and more corrupt until Strickland tears the rotting flesh away in front of Zelda and her husband. If the fingers are a metaphor, what do they symbolise? Is it the feeling of despair as the stresses of Strickland's job keep piling up? Is it his inability to accept his own failures, or the inability to fail in the first place? When the Amphibian Man walks towards Strickland before slicing his throat, I got the sense that Strickland while scared, was somewhat relieved the end was coming, and that he would die in the line of duty.

The Shape of Water has a fairytale like quality to it. Not just because Elisa and the Amphibian Man receive their 'happily ever afters'. Despite the scenes of gore, despite the bigotry of society, and despite Strickland and the system he symobolises, this is a sweet film. It evoked warm and happy feelings inside me, and I would easily recommend it.

Personal enjoyment: ★★★★