The Shape of Water

The Shape of Water

Guillermo del Toro is one of my favorite directors. He is a master of fantasy story telling. His oeuvre includes Pan’s Labyrinth, Hell Boy and The Devil’s Backbone. This is a tender love story between a lonely mute woman and an Amphibious man (merman) captured by the government for nefarious research. The mute is played by Sally Hawkins who is a janitor at the governmental facility. In contrast to the cruelty inflicted by Michael Shannon, who plays a military officer who found the “asset” in the Amazon, Hawkins affectionately secures the creature’s confidence and affection.  Since the creature cannot speak sign language becomes their common bridge.

The movie is set in the 60’s. Dresses, cars, music and bigotry all 60’s. Racial discrimination, homophobia and disparaging the handicapped were all prevalent. The creature is an avator for these derogations and his loving relationship with Hawkins is a repudiation of blind hate.

Sally Hawkins plays a difficult role as a mute, but this constraint does not limit her expressive performance. The signing was an interesting feature of the film (in real life Hawkins is not mute). Octavia Spencer is also a janitor and Hawkins’s friend. She helps to facilitate the romantic affair between Hawkins and the merman. She gives her usual understated performance which belies her strength and guile.

Michael Shannon has created on a franchise of being mean. His sadistic performance as Colonel Strickland is over the top and intense. He torments Hawkins and Spencer which in turn makes them cohorts to protect the merman. Richard Jenkins plays a terribly lonely middle aged closeted commercial artist who is Hawkins’s neighbor and close friend. Their mutual loneliness bonds them together and Jenkins is very supportive of the burgeoning romance between Hawkins and the merman. He puts himself in peril for their love.

Some parts of the movie are quite brutal. There is also magic, but I refrain from revealing it. One benefit, by the end of the movie you will be able to sign F… You.

Midnight Special

Midnight Special

This film is a modest sci-fi movie with a small cast of actors. The story is about a boy with mysterious powers who is abducted   by his father and driven to a secret location.  Bits of the boy’s powers are revealed during the journey and with every new revelation suspense grows. The trip to the final destination is littered with peril because the federal government wants to integrate him and members from an apocalyptic church, from which he escaped, are hunting him and believe he is a spiritual compass.

Michael Shannon is the father. This is a different role for Shannon. Blessed with a face of a stone cold killer he usually plays bad guy. He was General Zod in Man of Steel and played a vicious hit man in the Iceman who actually froze his victims. Here he plays a loving father willing to risk his life for his son. His affection was genuine.

Joel Edgerton joins Shannon on the journey. Edgerton is usually in leading roles so this supporting turn is a bit unusual. The role is not demanding. Kristin Dunst plays the mother. She comes in half way through the movie. She gives her usual sleepy laid back performance.

The boy is played by Jaeden Leiberher (Oliver in St. Vincent). He is very good in this role keeping a level of composure during the high risk journey. For the most part he controls of his powers but things do get out of hand on the road.

Adam Driver is not a big box office draw yet but he gives yeoman’s work in this film. From his appearance in Girls to Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Force Awakens his resume is growing impressively. Here he is an NAS agent trying to decipher information from the boy.

Computer Graphics do not play a big role in the film which is unusual for a sci-fi movie, except for the end which is fantastic. This movie has a definite feel of Close Encounter of the Third Kind . The ending is spectacular and tender. A good movie for the whole family.