The Shape of Water – A Story of Love Shaped to Eternity
It has been three years since the release of a worldwide romantic fiction movie – “the shape of water”. Still, it gives pain in the heart every time we see it. The depiction of love beyond all languages and gestures is the most touching plot of all times.
The movie directed by Guillermo del Toro tells the story of a mute orphan girl, Elisa who works as a cleaner at a secret government laboratory during the time of the cold war. Her only friends were her neighbor, Giles who was struggling in the advertising field, and her co-worker Zelda Fuller. She led a scheduled and boring life but then one day, a humanoid amphibian creature was brought to the laboratory for experiments and she felt a connection with him. Later on, when the authorities decided to kill him, she liberated him to stay with her and eventually released him to a nearby canal. There begin the heart-melting and magical story of Elisa and the man of wonders.
The real magic
The movie is nothing but magic. The humanoid amphibian is depicted as a god in his community and we watch him healing the serious wound of Giles with a touch. Even though his appearance is shown as a dangerous creature who eats raw animals, his gentle heart and understanding mind is what we see throughout the movie.
At last, when Elisa tries to release him, we see his emotional attachment to her and reluctance to leave. The creature is much humane than any human.
“He does not know what I lack or how I am incomplete, he sees me for what I am.” – Elisa, The shape of water
The character Elisa loves the creature with all her heart and was even ready to give her life to him. Their love is beyond words, it is made of eyes, gestures, body language, and the feelings they have for each other. The romance between them is illusional and perfect. That is where the magic lies…
The treat for eyes and ears
The music and visual graphics are totally remarkable. Being a fiction film, the visuals are really important and the design team has done great work on that aspect. The visual graphics played a great role in turning the merman monster into a romantic hero.
The soundtrack is done by Alexandre Desplat. He encapsulated the feeling of love and water in his music to bring out a soothing piece of work.
Awards won
The shape of water won a lot of awards including the Academy Award for best picture, best music, best production design and best directing, the Golden Globe Award for best directing and best original score, and many more. The American Film Institute selected it as one of the top 10 films of the year.