"The Shape of Water" by Guillermo del Toro. Time for Oscar? Movie review.
I'm sure Guillermo del Toro has discovered the big secret – have fun with the things you create so you can work effortlessly and with endless pleasure. That is why his films have a special radiance, like a halo of a different color, because he has put a piece of his soul in each of them and they have been an integral part of it within (at least) several years. "The Shape of Water", the latest creation the crazy, wild and super-talented Mexican, embraces viewers with the ultimate greenery of patinated bronze - with a sense of security, uniqueness and fabulous uniqueness. A story can always start with "once upon a time" - this is the magic formula capable of unlocking imagination in which mysterious water containers are guarded more than half a century in the secret laboratory of ruthless agent and in these water reservoirs a strange being tortured, charms a lonely cleaner, and she pulls him out of the forced prison, and after a lot of gaits, they both find freedom and merge their hearts. In summary, the plot sounds strange, crazy and somewhat candied, and might have become such a movie if all the metamorphoses did not happen in Guerrero del Toro's head. He was the daring storyteller who chooses princess of his story charming, but there is no cleaner, place a fateful decision in exceptional circumstances and throws it into the arms of a creature of mysterious latitudes, which resembles a human amphibian. Their love story goes as a lily of water - unexpectedly, white and unperturbed by words unspoken by prejudice, instinctive, passionate and fearless. In the name of that feeling she risk everything because her life would have no meaning if she doesn’t find the strength to follow her intuition - she felt that her only chance to see her real impact is in the eyes of one who accepts it unconditionally - no fictional pretensions, no social conventions, no universal fakes.
Quite deliberately del Toro has arranged all his characters beyond traditional expectations - phantasmagorical, lopsided, incontinent, neklishirani, unusual and totally unexpected, they create the eyes of viewers truly magical network that covers the mirror of reality. Cinema is precisely this - magic - and with its help the story comes alive outside, beyond and despite all the known tricks. One of the brave director's moves is the extraordinary casting - with Sally Hawkins's soft tenderness, with the patient, strange strangeness of his loving Doug Jones, Michael Shannon's cruel chameleon seamlessness, Richard Jenkins's delicate vulnerability, Michael Schulbarg's exact inclusions, and Octavia Spencer. Similar to the way del Toro sculpt his amphibian prince - complete with costume, impressive lighting details with charm that exudes power, he formed the other characters and a skilled puppeteer puts everyone at the right place in history. Pragmatic and logical reasons why the action takes place in the middle of the last century - except that it is possible to use ready decor, this is the time in which it is possible to happen meeting versatile conspiracies, including spy intervention by the a Soviet agent. For the overall atmosphere, the creators of the team are also responsible for all the details - from carts with cleaning materials in the secret laboratory to carpet patterns and the library in the storyteller's living room, to the rescue bath tub and plush cinema seats that revives the old lanes downstairs. Danish Danus Lavustsen's camera and lights virtuoso creates a truly authentic atmosphere, and you can’t guess in the age of computer-generated miracles how the poetic underwater scenes that began and ended the film - such mastering techniques and ingenuity have received our unreserved admiration ...
Built with a budget of less than $ 20 million, over 35 festivals literally around the world, it received over 200 awards and nominations for only the last four months of 2017 after its premiere in Venice (where his author left with Sergio Leone ", Best known as one of the most prestigious awards in the world of cinema -" The Golden Lion "), honored by almost every cinema critic community in the world as one of the masterpieces of 2017, the work of Guyermo del Toro deserves all the superlatives that are sacking at his address. It's no accident that the Hollywood foreign press awards the film is leading with nominations in seven categories - people like beautifully narrated stories, this is the truth. Whatever obstacles there are to overcome the main characters, they must love - and even with the power of feeling they will be able to defeat the evil that is always on their way. No matter how old / known / worn out these postulates, they always work flawlessly. The tremendous dignity of "The Shape of Water" is precisely the company that Del Toro offers us - daring, charming, intoxicatingly gentle. Forget the elemental comparisons with the "beauty and beast" leitmotif, pay no attention to the ubiquitous accusations of "seeking social justice" (del Toro's characters have a different social, racial and sexual affiliation, but that doesn’t really matter!) - If you can’t dive into the story, if you do not fascinate your love story, if traditional skepticism is your second nature and prevent you from seeing this movie with unbiased eyes, then you, dear spectators, may have lost the ability to be amazed vate and fun with something as natural as fascinating stories, beautiful story about ordinary people and their feelings. Del Toro offers it to us with an open heart and a devil's wink, and we, since we are his sincere admirers, thank him in absentia. And (maybe) it's time for an Oscar.
i love how you moved my memories of this film from one key moment to the next, I loved the film and loved your review of it.
although, I don't know about him charming her. She's the one who tempted him with the egg first, and for good reasons.
I loved the parallels between this fantastical history with today's most pressing crisis of characters.
Thank you for the 💎 write-up!
Ah, @tetsuo, thanks :)
Well the movie was definitely beyond my expectations. Very strong both - emotionally and cinematographically. Somewhere, I read a quote by Alejandro G. Inarritu, who quite well describes the movie : "The shape of water" is an explanation in love for love and cinema."
The better parallels for me was the strong influence of the works of Burton, Gilliam, Spielberg, Jean-Pierre Jeanne (more from "Amelie "), as well as the overall reverie to the classic horror films and musicals of the 1950's, but the nicer thing is that, however, the strongest impression succeeds in making the characters, the drama and the directing provocation in combining and interpreting clichés. :)
Another great movie on my list of the year. Thanks @godflesh for sharing.
Yes, this year we have some really good movies like "A Ghost story", "I, Tonya", "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri", "mother!", "Call Me by Your Name", "Loving Vincent", "Lady Bird", "On Body and Soul " and so on. I am satisfied :D
Tell me what u liked about ghost story? I had trouble getting through the first 30 minutes. Perhaps i need to give it another chance.
@daddyray83, hehe, the first 30 minutes are a problem for most of the people. If you overcome them, you may like it. The movie gives you a very subtle feeling . If you look at it a little like meditation, I think you will appreciate it.
@godflesh - Movies that u mentioned are all great. :-)
great movie. worth watching.
Yes :)
A truly genre defining movie that deals with an evergreen human topic - love - in a fantastical manner. Just brilliant!
True :)
Always love del Torro's work, he has a way of taking a universal simple story & telling it with a unique sophistication and beauty. Some of his older horror films like "Devil's Backbone" are worth a look in this regard too. Thanks for the review!
indeed, "Devil's Backbone" is good one. My favorite del Torro's movie is "Pan's Labyrinth"
I want wacht this film.
Yes, It's worth it :)
I cannot wait to see this film. It was filmed in Toronto where I live. Del Toro definitely deserves an Oscar. He has been making great films for so long.
have a nice watching to the movie, I hope you like it. :)
And yes Del Toro has a rich filmography behind his back. :)
I haven't seen this movie, but honestly I just felt scared because of the title, I have this kind of phobia when it comes to watching films with oceans, sea, lakes, any kind of water involved (except for finding Nemo of course). I don't find exorcisms or creepy dolls scary, but I can't watch movies about ships, sharks, crocodiles or something like that, don't know if this happens only to me. Now that I have read your review and I've seen that this movie is on the top of the oscars nominations, I'll give it a shot, thanks :)
Hehe, you have really interesting phobia. In that way I love to watch movies , if I have this kind of feeling by them :D
So you love to watch movies that scare you omg lol
This looks promising ! :-)
Well maybe you will like it :P But I am not sure what is your taste of cinema.. but in some aspects the movie have that weirdness of your drawings, hehe :P
weirdness sounds good :-) ( i wonder what drawings of mine you referring to )
I love scary movies especially with some sci- fi in it !
Aliens would be a great example.
But i am afraid i have seen it all ... :-(
I will think about the reference to you drawings and will say later :D
I am big horror fan but without sci-fi in it :D
For example this is good one, in the spirit of the fairy tale "The Witch" - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4263482/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
And when I speak of movies that have that spirit of fairy tales want to recommend you this too "Tale of Tales" really good one: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3278330/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_14
Thank You so much for the links! How nice of you! :-)
The first movie i have seen long time ago.. i hardly remember it.. :-(
the second one i have not heard of, so it could be good :-)
Here is one of my favorite for you, but you probably have seen it-
Or "The others" . i love this kind of movies !
Talk to you soon, i hope from now on you will keep me posted of the greatest and newest movies !!! :-)
Have a lovely evening !
"The others" is one of my favorite! I watch it before 15 or more years and still remember how scare it was :D
Look "Get out" how took the idea of "The Skeleton Key". "Get out" is really overrated movie.
And sorry but I want to mention to you one more really good European horror, the french "Inside": http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0856288/?ref_=nv_sr_8
Have a nice evening to you too :)
:-) Get out was really good, i just saw it last week !! :-)
![nice of you thank you.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmc2eeDjJzK38oHFisiqsjdJDfBT8Wd4sfoirbkZwVUNc8/nice%20of%20you%20thank%20you.jpg)
The other one i will check out .
I am glad i can talk to you about good scare movies :-)
Thank You so much, you are so nice !
<3
I love del Toro's movies! Been a fan of his for a long time, I think he will win some Oscars this year. Director, Film and Production Design maybe?
Really hard to say :D I vote for director. :D For me there was better movies this year :P