The Shape of Water - 💥💥💥💥

Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Writers: Vanessa Taylor & Guillermo Del Toro
Release Date: 14th February 2018
Hot Rating: 💥💥💥💥

Spanish director, and renowned lover of all things monstrous, Guillermo Del Toro, delivers big in what may be his most stunning feature film yet. The film is full of stellar performances, of which main actress Sally Hawkins as the mute cleaner, Elisa, and supporting actor Richard Jenkins as her loveable neighbour, Giles, stands out as the most touching. From the film's bold colour palette, packed with as rich interiors, Del Toro makes Hawkins love-smitten relationship with the mysterious amphibian man (Doug Jones) appear not only natural but beautiful. Beyond the performances, listen out for the film's soundtrack, as produced by Alexandre Desplat, an equally stunning mixture of 60s-infused piano ballads with smooth classical interludes. It's fitting that such delicately orchestrated music accompanies the film's romance, to which both of these elements make for a film which is as fantastical as it is full of real, human emotion.

Sally Hawkins as 'Elisa'. Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580390/mediaviewer/rm3920190720