"It doesn’t get more personal than "Shape of Water" for me. I am the proudest of it. It’s my favorite movie that I’ve done.”
Guillermo del Toro
I kept repeating that quote above as I watched this, wondering why exactly it was this movie of all things he was the most proud of. It didn't seem like his most complex or grandest work, nor did it ever feel like it, but as it kept going, it started to become more and more clear why exactly he felt this way about it.
It feels a lot like Del Toro at his most confident.
Everything about it is done with a sense of "I can do this. I know I can." and never stopping. From the magical opening camera push into a sunken apartment, from the beautiful closing image, not once does it feel like Del Toro is doubting himself in his craft, allowing himself to tell one of the most graceful Fairy Tales ever caught on film.
Yet, while this may be Del Toro's showcase of everything he's learned up to this point, that doesn't take away from the talent in front of everything either. Hawkins, Shannon, and Jones are all as fantastic as you've heard (Shannon especially fully takes advantage of his role, playing it equally creepy and genuinely humorous), but the one most seem to be overlooking is Richard Jenkins as Hawkins' neighbor, acting as the glue holding together a good chunk of this story between The Princess without a Voice and the Prince of the Water.
Any chance this film had to fumble into self parody (which could have happened a few times and was so worried it would ((especially in regards to Shannon's character)) ) are quickly swept under the rug, because of how genuine of a connection there is between these two and the world around them, and Del Toro's clear, shining passion and confidence, not letting go for a single second.
One of the most beautiful and moving films to come out of this year, and I can't wait to see it again and again as the years go on. Please, do yourself a favor, and take a dive into it.
