The Shape Of Water
Searchlight Pictures (2017)
Last week, I mentioned that our friend Cary gave me a 52 Week Movie Challenge book as a Christmas present. The idea here is to choose a different movie to watch each week according to the prompts given in the book and then to answer a few questions about the film.
The first challenge in the book is to watch a film that has won Best Picture, so I did a little research and put together a short list of movies that fit the category that I've always wanted to see, but haven't gotten around to it yet. This list included Coda, Parasite, Birdman, The Departed, A Beautiful Mind, and Gladiator, but I settled on the movie that won Best Picture for 2017 at the 90's Academy Awards: The Shape Of Water.
This movie premiered a few years before joined Regal Unlimited. Since that time, and since discovering the Mahoning Drive-In Theater, I've become a much bigger fan of movies. I wouldn't presume to be an expert on films or even claim to knowledgeable about film history, but I'd like to think I've developed an appreciation for cinematography, visual effects, and for some things that filmmakers do to pull you out of your own world and draw you into theirs. The Shape Of Water does this as well as any movie I've ever seen.
The story is set in 1963 and it follows a woman in her mid 30's named Elisa Esposito, who was portrayed in an incredible performance by Sally Hawkins. She has been mute since she was found next to a river with scars on her neck as an infant. She lives in a small apartment above a cinema and works on the janitorial staff at a top secret government research facility in Baltimore. While working, Elisa discovers that her employers have captured an aquatic life form similar to The Creature From The Black Lagoon, and the movie is about the connection she builds to this creature. Anything else that I could say about the story would stray into spoiler territory, but it's a beautiful film that is deserving of all of the praise and awards that it has received.
One last thing I wanted to mention is the fact that The Creature in the film is played by actor Doug Jones. He has a remarkable filmography including roles in movies such as Batman Returns, Hocus Pocus, Men In Black II, Pan's Labyrinth, and Hellboy 1 and 2, but my favorite of them all was one of his earliest acting gigs when he was hired by McDonald's to portray my all-time favorite mascot in their Mac Tonight advertising campaign.
