Review of The Shape of Water (2017) by Clyde O — 13 Jan 2018

I loved this film so much that I forgave the cat killing and the finger tossing. The only real clunker for me (that snapped me out of my reverie) was when the General spouted some strangely-composed speech about a man's dignity, which was so far out there that it was as if some ancient soothsayer had taken over his body. They stuck a couple of swear words in there to make him sound more "military," I guess.

That said, the acting was brilliant, and charming in all the right places. At times, it seemed as if del Toro was teetering just on the edge appearing a bit too pat. I found the bathroom flooding scene a bit too much, although I got the point.

Many layers here - some obvious - some elegantly placed. Of course, in the end, love triumps and the gods come out of the sky and kill off the bad guy and takes out one good guy to even up the score. The message of acceptance, unconditional love, being a misfit, knowing when something feels "right" - it's all there. The costumes and period decor I absolutely adored.

I just hope those crazy kids made it out of the canal..