The Shape of Water (2017)

At a top secret research facility in the 1960s, a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity.

Director:

Guillermo del Toro

Writers:

Guillermo del Toro (screenplay by), Vanessa Taylor (screenplay by)

Stars:

Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon

Won 4 Oscars. Another 132 wins & 352 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sally Hawkins	...	Elisa Esposito
Michael Shannon	...	Richard Strickland
Richard Jenkins	...	Giles
Octavia Spencer	...	Zelda Fuller
Michael Stuhlbarg	...	Dr. Robert Hoffstetler
Doug Jones	...	Amphibian Man
David Hewlett	...	Fleming
Nick Searcy	...	General Hoyt
Stewart Arnott	...	Bernard
Nigel Bennett	...	Mihalkov
Lauren Lee Smith	...	Elaine Strickland
Martin Roach	...	Brewster Fuller
Allegra Fulton	...	Yolanda
John Kapelos	...	Mr. Arzoumanian
Morgan Kelly	...	Pie Guy

Storyline

From master storyteller Guillermo del Toro comes THE SHAPE OF WATER, an otherworldly fable set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962. In the hidden high-security government laboratory where she works, lonely Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is trapped in a life of isolation. Elisa's life is changed forever when she and co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) discover a secret classified experiment. Rounding out the cast are Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Doug Jones.

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Plot Keywords:

underwater scene | mute woman | creature | interspecies romance | sign language | 

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Taglines:

Based on an idea by Daniel Kraus And Guillermo del Toro

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content, graphic nudity, violence and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movies playing at the "Orpheum" theatre where Elisa and Giles live, are "The Story of Ruth" 1960 and "Mardi Gras" 1960. The story of Ruth features a plot, taken from the biblical story of Ruth, where the female protagonist is given up as a child, raised to be a priestess to pagan gods, until she meets an outsider, with different values and a belief in one true god. They fall in love, but are persecuted and he is imprisoned and she makes a failed attempt to free him - an interesting mirror to hold up to this story.

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Goofs

A WWII era sign is shown, "Loose lips sink ships". It would make sense for a government institution to still be using surplus posters from the war, as they are still trying to discourage the sharing of secret information.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Giles: If I spoke about it - if I did - what would I tell you? I wonder. Would I tell you about the time? It happened a long time ago, it seems. In the last days of a fair prince's reign. Or would I tell you about the place? A small city near the coast, but far from everything else. Or, I don't know... Would I tell you about her? The princess without voice. Or perhaps I would just warn you, about the truth of these facts. And the tale of love and loss. And the monster, who tried to ...

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits roll over footage of a flooded apartment.

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Connections

Featured in The Movies: The 2000s to Today (2019)

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Soundtracks

Cues
from the Hong Kong (1960) episode The Hunted (1961)
Written by Hugo Friedhofer, Bernard Herrmann and Lionel Newman
Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

User Reviews

Real love under unreal circumstances.

To communicate or not to communicate. Sometimes is just out of fear that we don't come close to the ones who can give us exactly what we need. They're different, let's stay away. Sally Hawkins in a magical but beautifully real performance invites us to try, to dare. Guillermo del Toro takes us through the paces with extraordinary delicacy and clarity of vision. Thank you.

Details

Official Sites:

Fox Searchlight Official Facebook

Country:

USA Canada Mexico

Language:

English American Sign Language Russian French

Release Date:

22 December 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Shape of Water

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$19,400,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$166,564, 3 December 2017

Gross USA:

$63,859,435

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$195,333,312

Company Credits

Production Co:

Double Dare You (DDY), Fox Searchlight Pictures, TSG Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1

Color:

Color Black and White (dream sequence)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1