The Shape of Water

      Co-written and directed by the always imaginative Guillermo del Toro, this new drama is unlike anything you can imagine and is his best since "Pan's Labyrinth". It has an outstanding cast but Sally Hawkins as the mute cleaning woman, Elisa, does her best work ever and is simply amazing.

      An easy description would be science fiction love story but it is so much deeper and richer than that. Elisa works in a government lab somewhere in Baltimore, circa 1962. When she discovers the lab's secret project is an amphibious humanoid creature, she feels a common bond with it and befriends the "asset", as it's called by the military, feeding it eggs and keeping it company whenever she can. The film co-stars Michael Shannon as Colonel Strickland, the head of security and one of the nastiest villains ever to appear on screen. Besides Mr. Shannon, the rest of the cast includes Richard Jenkins as Giles, Elisa's friend and neighbor, Octavia Spencer, as Delilah, Elisa's co-worker and Michael Stuhlbarg as Dr. Hoffstetler, another scientist studying the creature.

      The creature is not a CGI creation but rather actor Doug Jones, under a ton of excellent makeup. For the emotional core of this film to work, it's important that Elisa interact with a real being and not some digital creation. The film requires a leap of faith but Mr. del Toro's skills make it easy to accept where the story eventually leads. This off beat "Beauty and the Beast" is romantic, suspenseful and even musical. It's remarkable in it's plot, acting, cinematography, and the wonderful direction by Mr. del Toro. It's one of the best films of the year.