115. The Shape Of Water; movie review

THE SHAPE OF WATER
Cert 15
123 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong violence, language, sex, nudity

We've been away for couple of weeks so we have missed out on Guillermo Del Toro's Oscar-winning The Shape Of Water until now.
But I knew it was unlikely to be Mrs W's bag and so it proved.
She doesn't go for this type of fantasy film so I was prepared for her negative reaction as we walked away from Nottingham Cineworld's screen 11.
Meanwhile, m overall analysis was very positive, although I accepted there were a couple of scenes during which I felt Del Toro had lost his way.
The Shape Of Water is cinematic poetry - with a clutch of hidden meanings behind the basic story of a cleaner at a scientific facility falling for a Mer-man.
Sally Hawkins plays Eliza, a kind-hearted mute woman who feels sorry for the chained up sea creature who is subject to experimentation by his captors and a political tug-of-war between Americans and Russians.
Meanwhile, she is also a dynamic force in the lives of her lonely neighbour (Richard Hawkins) and her feisty work colleague (Octavia Spencer).
The dark element of the film is represented by Michael Shannon, the science facility's security head and a fearsome and conscience-less adversary.
The Shape Of Water is a very attractive film - every shot is a slave to art although I would quibble about its bloodiness and Del Toro's apparent obsession with Sally Hawkins' naked body.
I really wonder why both she and the director felt such a large amount of nudity and sexual activity was necessary.
It again prompted me to wonder about the campaign around female sexplotation at the movies. Should women not be demanding equality of naked appearances with men?
Also on the plus side it looks great and has a superb cast. Sally and Richard Hawkins, Spencer and Shannon are all terrific.
On the downside, it should never have won the best picture Oscar, in my opinion. It is very good but simply does not have the grip of Three Billboards, The Posr or even movies such as Journey's End.
Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder but Mrs W groaned overt the romance between mer-man and cleaner and I suspect many others would.

Reasons to watch: It won Oscar for best picture
Reasons to avoid: If fantasy is not your bag

Laughs: Three
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: Yes
Overall rating: 8.5/10

Director quote - Guillermo Del Toro: "When we were in pre-production. I gave her (Sally Hawkins) a box with the entire Laurel and Hardy, the entire Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and Chaplin, and I said to her, study them because you’re basically a silent comedian."

The big question: How did they do those underwater shots?

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