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The Shape of Water

Name: The Shape of Water
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Released: 2017
Duration: 123 min

Representation Score

9.8/10

Excellent

2017

Director

Guillermo del Toro

Runtime

123 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Guillermo del Toro creates a narrative that emphasizes empathy for underrepresented and non-traditional individuals. By dismantling mid-century American stereotypes, the film critiques rigid social structures and hierarchies. The film succeeds by elevating the 'othered' characters, such as the protagonist with a disability or the central romantic couple. It avoids common clichés, instead presenting characters who play a significant role in driving the story and moral complexity. While the film excels in its thematic depth, its focus remains primarily on critiquing Western Cold War-era institutions rather than exploring a wide range of cultural backgrounds.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Shape of Water have LGBTQ+ representation?

Excellent

The film focuses on a deep emotional bond between a human woman and an amphibious being. This relationship challenges traditional views by highlighting a non-traditional connection as the heart of the story.

How does The Shape of Water portray gender?

Excellent

Elisa breaks down mid-century gender roles through her strong sense of ability to act and independence. The film also emphasizes female solidarity, showing women like Zelda as capable and important partners.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Shape of Water?

Excellent

Set in 1962, the film includes Zelda, a black woman, in a high-security environment. Her presence challenges the idea of a uniform American bureaucracy during that time.

How does The Shape of Water represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The narrative criticizes Western institutions by portraying the Cold War establishment as dehumanizing. It presents the 'othered' characters as having a higher ethical stance than the state.

Does The Shape of Water include disability representation?

Excellent

Elisa’s muteness is a core part of her identity, not a deficit or a subject of ridicule. The film shows that her inability to speak does not diminish her intelligence.

Present on Screen

Subverts traditional gender roles by making the female protagonist the main driver of the plot.
Portrays disability with dignity, treating muteness as a unique form of communication rather than a deficiency.
Challenges traditional views through a respectful romance between human and non-human entities.
Provides a nuanced depiction of racial ability to act within a 1960s professional setting.

Limited or Absent

The critique of institutions is primarily focused on Western Cold War-era bureaucracy.

Official Synopsis

An other-worldly story, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962, where a mute janitor working at a lab falls in love with an amphibious man being held captive there and devises a plan to help him escape.

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