Movie Review: The Shape of Water. Literature & Language Research Paper (Research Paper Sample)

Movie Review: The Shape of Water
Author’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Movie Review: The Shape of Water
Directed by Guillermo Del Toro and set in the US in the early 1960s during the cold war and the space race era, The Shape of Water (2017) is a rich and moving bittersweet romance-fantasy film. The film portrays the life of Elisa, a mute woman who works at a top-secret government laboratory in Baltimore, during the height of the Cold war. Elisa’s parentage is a mystery since she was found on a riverbank with her throat slashed. Hence, when the military brings a strange amphibious humanoid to the lab, she finds it intriguing, develops an attachment to it, and grows to love it over time. With a rich plot, multiple central, unifying concepts, and several symbolic depictions, The Shape of Water conveys the message that by abandoning our limiting beliefs, we get to discover our true selves. Furthermore, to love another, we must be able to shed our prejudices and accept diversity.
The Shape of Water has a surprising twist in the way it differentiates the hero and the villain in its plot. As expected, the strange aquatic Humanoid ought to be the monster, while the clean-cut Colonel Richard Strickland, the hero. It is, therefore, surprising that the creature is tender, has a healing touch, and is more human than the Colonel, who is violent, condescending, and is looking for every opportunity to prove his superiority (McIntyre and Del Toro, 2017).