About

Carried by two mesmerising lead performances, The Shape of Water is a magical work about the burgeoning romance between woman and merman. Elisa Esposito (Sally Hawkins), is a mute janitor at a secret Cold War lab in 1960s Baltimore. One night, a container arrives at the facility containing an amphibious creature (Doug Jones) shepherded from the wilds of the Amazon River. Shot in aqueous greens and blues, Guillermo Del Toro's creature pays homage to the titular monster in Creature from the Black Lagoon 1954. Del Toro blends this inspiration with sumptuous set-design, costuming and otherworldly make-up and effects to create a fantastically textured love story. Part adult fairy tale and B-grade monster movie, The Shape of Water is at once deeply familiar and utterly original.

MA15+