Overview of “The Shape of Water” and Its Impact
The selected work, The Shape of Water, was created by many people as it is a film, and the production process is complex and lengthy. The film was released in 2017, and the central location for its filming was Canada (Khabibullina et al., 2022). The piece of art was created because Guillermo del Toro wanted to tell an original and unusual story featuring a unique setting where a human begins a romantic relationship with another species.
In this way, the director creates a new atmosphere in his fantasy film, offering the audience an advanced viewing experience. Generalizing the film’s audience is difficult because different people could watch it. However, there may be a particular pattern in which a film may appeal to people significantly different from others (Khabibullina et al., 2022). The entire audience is displayed when the film emphasizes diversity at the beginning. This was reflected by broadly representing people with disabilities so that they live whole lives.
The film shows how important it is to people’s feelings from a specific target audience. Sponsorship was provided by several film studios, such as TSG Entertainment and Fox Searchlight Pictures, which is a subsidiary of 20th Century Fox (Adji, 2019). The Shape of Water was received controversially as many people did not like the film, while at the same time, a large number of people rated it quite positively.
The film attracted a large audience, leading to significant box office receipts that exceeded the total. The film had a tremendous social impact as it became something new and unusual. The film became profitable as many people went to the cinemas to see it. Critical assessments of the film were high as critics defended the position that the film is unusual and raises important themes of inclusivity. This is a movie that Guillermo del Toro fans might enjoy.
Social Themes and Allegories in “The Shape of Water”
The film depicts the social problems of discrimination and Otherness, manifested in the depiction of many outsider characters who are such only because they do not fit into the general mold. The film’s main character is mute, and her partner is a reptile about whom almost nothing is known except that this couple develops feelings for each other. This work is not a documentary but presents an approach to creating and developing a new idea and concept. The movie is significantly different in that the information in the film is fictitious and cannot be trusted (Khabibullina et al., 2022).
In the minds of the filmmakers, gender does not play a role since the main character is a mute woman, and this does not prevent her from being a solid character. The economic situation is also clearly demonstrated as one of the main character’s neighbors struggles with difficult financial conditions (Khabibullinaet al., 2022). The themes of race and discrimination are not directly revealed. Still, they are touched upon throughout the entire plot since the woman’s relationship with the reptile is an allegory for forbidden relationships during the period of enslavement.
The problems of power and social organization in the film are shown as serious factors that ruin people’s lives. This happens because of an organization that, despite the reputational damage, is ready to place the creature under probation, thereby limiting his freedom. The central staff was attracted to those same views reflected in the constant adjustment of various situations that could show one or another character of the situation (Adji, 2019). The audience was taught a few things about society while watching this film because it addresses significant problems of society that have not yet been fully corrected.
The coexistence of social norms and rules is so distorted that it is unclear where principles and normality interfere. The director and the film’s character have the same views as the film relates directly to itself, including a tragic reasoning about how a creature can be left without water and how much he is to blame for this (Adji, 2019). The art object The Shape of Water can be considered that all people had a hand in creating this project in such a way that as many people could see it as possible.
The Shape of Water addresses power issues in a way that conveys the dynamics of government power. It seeks to profit and benefit from anything new that gives it a negative connotation. At the same time, the director expresses a point of view that manifests itself in the fact that society must learn more empathy for those who are different. This message can be seen in those aspects when characters in the film who were negatively disposed towards the reptile died or were injured.
However, not all heroes share this point of view. Many have an extreme consumer attitude toward the main character’s lover, manifesting their desire to experiment with him (Adji, 2019). They can be divided into positive and negative since the main character supported these principles while government officials tried to destroy them.
Cinematic Techniques and Visual Storytelling
The presented film contains elements of form that shape and determine its impact, contributing to forming a global cinematic experience. One of these significant elements is the cinematography, led by Dan Laustsen. It shows the story from all sides, making it meaningful enough for the audience to understand the images’ meaning (Sielke, 2019). This movie used various visual motifs that emphasized the overall thread of the story.
In this regard, a significant effect was also achieved by the lighting, which in each scene worked in such a way as to emphasize significant plot elements. In necessary places, the lighting was dark and subdued, emphasizing the intimacy of the moment, while in more dynamic scenes, one could observe sudden changes in frames and bright lighting (Sielke, 2019). This contrast in camera work and lighting helped form a particular perception that subsequently impacted the viewer, helping to remember the director’s style.
The color palette entered into symbiosis with lighting and camera work to create a suitable image that conveys and helps to perceive the film’s plot. Blues and greens convey the water world and its inhabitants (Sielke, 2019). At the same time, in moments of expression of emotion, movie scenes become warmer and richer to demonstrate the significance of the main character’s feelings. This is complemented by the composition of the frames, which are composed in such a way as to place the crucial elements about which the story is going in the frame (Sielke, 2019). Musical storytelling is a critical component that helps viewers better feel the emotions conveyed on the screen. Due to well-chosen music, the right presence effect is achieved, which helps people better perceive the events on the screen.
References
Adji, A. N. (2019). Falling for the amphibian man: Fantasy, otherness, and auteurism in del Toro’s The Shape of Water. IAFOR Journal of Media, Communication & Film, 6(1). Web.
Khabibullina, L. F., Zinnatullina, Z. R., Davletbaeva, D. N., & Polyakov, O. Y. (2022). Guillermo Del Toro’s The Shape of Water as the movie and the book. Resmilitaris, 12(3), 310-317. Web.
Sielke, S. (2019). Retro aesthetics, affect, and nostalgia effects in recent US-American cinema: The cases of La La Land (2016) and The Shape of Water (2017). Arts, 8(3), 1-16. Web.
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