What do you go to the movies for? For some it’s entertainment and escape. For people like me, I go to the cinema to feel something and get lost. My favorite films are the ones that get some sort of reaction out me upon each viewing. It can be fear(Jaws), wonder(Back to the Future), love(Moonrise Kingdom), and provocation of thought(Mulholland Drive). This years Blade Runner 2049 is a film that made feel wonder, with it’s fully realized world and ideas, and made my mind buzz with ideas. Guillermo del Toro’s newest film, The Shape of Water, gave me a similar reaction to last year’s La La Land. When I walked out of La La Land, I was full of wonder and magic. I was ready to take on the world. When I walked out of The Shape of Water, I got this rush of wonder and felt like I’ve just witnessed a magic trick unfold in front of my eyes pulled off by a master at the height of his or hers craft.
There are many filmmakers who make great cinema. There are many filmmakers who love the cinema. There are very few filmmakers where their loves oozes of the screen. In every single frame of The Shape of Water, del Toro’s …show more content…
Not only does the central romance work, it’s the best on screen romance I’ve seen all year. Sally Hawkins and Doug Jones are brilliant. Sometimes writers will give a character a crutch or disability to make us care and it comes off as fake. What del Toro and co-writer Vanessa Taylor do is have the muteness of Elisa, Sally Hawkins, play into the actually story and the romance itself. It’s by no means an afterthought. This of course is amplified by Sally Hawkins herself. She has to do a lot with her face and eyes. You can see some much depth in the way she carries herself and her facial expressions. Sally Hawkins made feel love and wonder with just a simple facial