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The Shape of Water (2017) - 6/10
I typically love Del Toro by my Spider-sense told me to avoid this. Finally gave it a go. The script has all the problems modern writings have and its that it tells you everything.
Its a fairytale so its not like the story beats are supposed to be catching anyone off guard. It should be predictable. Fairytales arent about the ending. We know there are only two endings. A kiss or a coffin. In a fairytale we march through the acts waiting for the answer to that choice.
No what it tells you is its opinions. Good art is subjective not for the sake of it but because of its versatility. It can mean more that way. It can develop layers that guide us in the future when a new problem exists that the author could have never forseen arises that the work can become a parable for.
This tells you exactly what everything represents. It vomits it at you proudly. We dont interpret this script we endure it. As stated the plot is functionally dead until the final frames and the subtext is stripped out too. It leaves us with nothing.
Fortunately while the writing may fail the cast doesnt. Everyone is great save Octavia Spencer who only has ever given one performance and only ever will give one performance.
But what keeps me overall positive about this film is color. Its through color that Del Tero has perhaps managed to pull this film up a few notches. Id need a rewatch to REALLY analyze it and i dont want to see this again for a very very long time, if ever.
The color green has immeanse subtextual relevance. Obviously The Creature is green. The labratory is green. The uniforms are green. The Cadillac is green. The antagonists candy is green. My working theory is based on what the car salesman says. "Green is the color of the future."
Again this film lazily wears its metaphor like an exoskeleton so viewing the future as progress and green thus as progress most examples become self explanatory. The Cadillac though i think is the key. When the antagonist sees it he says he doesnt like the color. That he hates green. Furthermore the scene in his home he is seen wearing yellow. His wife wearing yellow offset by green. His daughter all green. His son predominantly yellow but green poking through. Yellow being the old and progress lurking underneath. Bursting at the seams.
Taking it further his hand as it rots emits green puss. His body rejects the fingers. He rejects the green. Theres a lot more to disect there but ive written enough about a color.
Except for Red. Its the second predominantly featured color. Notably in blood and the protagonists outfit in the final scene. I have no working theory on what red is. I suspect becauase its just striking against the deep greens and its "romantic." But its worth mentioning. At the very least it *is* pretty.
But its telling that i leave a 2 hour picture and the thing i find most interesting is whats not explicitly stated...
...but it isnt all bad. Afterall it has a musical number.
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