Guillermo del Toro is unquestionably the most unique talent of his generation of filmmakers. With an uncanny mind and an audacious style all his own, he has delivered some of the most hauntingly beautiful and singularly memorable films of the last twenty years.
From enchanting fairy tales like Pan’s Labyrinth to mainstream blockbusters like Hellboy, there is simply no mistaking one of his creations for something from the mind of anybody else. The worlds he creates are dreams resting on a knife’s edge, always at risk of falling into nightmare and ruin: brimming with not just beauty, but dangers too.
Although his style isn’t for everybody — it certainly isn’t my go-to aesthetic — the fact that they are as unabashedly original as they are makes each new film a must-see event. Even disheveled messes like Mimic are worth more than most of the blockbusters of a given year put together.
Based on the trailer just released for his new film, The Shape of Water, he’s somehow managed to distill his entire filmography into a single representative. From the mesmerizing visuals — perfect cross-sections of ballet and rust — to the expansive cast of instantly compelling characters, he has created the definitive addition to his otherworldly body of work.
A mute cleaning lady, stationed at an inhospitable government facility, is charged with tidying up after everybody else has gone home for the evening. Bit hidden amidst the turbines and rows of imposing tanks is an innocuous pool is an impossible creature: a murky creature from beneath the sea. Rather than a monstrous kraken or mindless bottom feeder, it is a merfolk and it has caught Eliza’s eye.
But rather than fearing this thing housed in an underwater prison, she bonds with it. They spend their nights on the water’s edge, sharing each other’s company and communicating wordlessly through the glass of his tank. And although their worlds conspire to keep them apart, their inexplicable romance keeps them returning to the watery edge ever night.
Looking to be a cross between A Cure for Wellness and The Creature of the Black Lagoon, The Shape of Water is an opposite attracts romance in both form and function. And one this is absolutely certain: you will not find another movie like this in theaters this year. It’s the kind of film you can only get from del Toro himself.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=XFYWazblaUA%22+frameborder%3D%220%22+allow%3D%22accelerometer%3B+encrypted-media%3B+gyroscope%3B+picture-in-picture%22+allowfullscreen%3E%3C
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