The Shape of Water

[peter]

Off to see this film tonight and just thought I'd post a few preliminary thoughts. I'm a great del Toro fan, Pan's Labyrinth being amongst my favourite films, so TSoW comes with high expectations on my part - often the precursor to disappointment I've found in the past. I saw the trailer some time ago and was drawn in at the time by it, and both the critical reviews and the host of award nominations the film has garnered have added to my anticipation. I was somewhat reminded of the fish-man character from Hell Boy by the poster and I wonder if the character in this film will be a sort of extension of this earlier incarnation in terms of personality and attributes. I wouldn't mind this too much, but I'm really hoping for some new ground to be broken.
I've deliberatly kept away from too much prior research into the film, trusting rather to the director's past form, but have been unable to completely isolate myself from comment upon it, thus I have garnered that there is a romantic element to the film with the mute girl - and possibly even erotic overtones (could be interesting - I'm going to see the film with two women ). All in all it should make for an entertaining couple of hours of viewing and I hope for the best!

[I'm Murrin]

I saw this last weekend, and I loved it. It's a really beautiful film, right from the opening.

[peter]

Yes, I agree. I'm not going to pretend I thought it as good as Pan's Labyrinth but it was fine viewing, beautifully shot and engaging from start to finish. There were some really telling moments, especially when the main baddie wonders why he should be wasting his time with the low end people - the "shit cleaners and piss wipers" as he terms them - that resonate with how our own society views its own lower strata. All in all a worthy bit of cinema that, even if it doesn't clinch 'Best Film' in the forthcoming Academy Awards Ceremony, is certainly deserving of it's place amongst the contenders.

[wayfriend]

DID THE SHAPE OF WATER PLAGIARIZE THE PAUL ZINDEL PLAY LET ME HEAR YOU WHISPER?

The two plots:
Let Me Hear You Whisper
Set in the 1960s, the plot follows a lonely, introverted female custodian at a research facility who falls in love with a captured aquatic creature, a dolphin, who talks only to her. When the creature refuses to cooperate with the scientists' plan to be used as a military weapon, they decide they will kill it and dissect it. The custodian attempts to help the creature escape to the sea by means of a laundry cart.

The Shape of Water
Set in the 1960s, the plot follows a lonely, introverted female custodian at a research facility who falls in love with a captured aquatic creature who talks only to her. When the creature refuses to cooperate with the scientists' plan to be used as a military weapon, they decide they will kill it and dissect it. The custodian attempts to help the creature escape to the sea by means of a laundry cart.

[peter]

Well - put like that.....