The Shape of Water

This article is about the 2017 American film. For the unrelated Italian novel, see The Shape of Water (novel).

The Shape of Water
Underwater, a woman and a humanoid amphibian creature embrace.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGuillermo del Toro
Screenplay by
Story byGuillermo del Toro
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDan Laustsen
Edited bySidney Wolinsky
Music byAlexandre Desplat
Production
companies
Distributed byFox Searchlight Pictures
Release dates
  • August 31, 2017 (2017-08-31) (Venice)
  • December 1, 2017 (2017-12-01) (United States)
Running time
123 minutes[1]
Countries
  • United States
  • Mexico[2]
Languages
  • American Sign Language
  • English
Budget$19.5–20 million[3][4]
Box office$195.2 million[5]

The Shape of Water is a 2017 romantic fantasy film directed and produced by Guillermo del Toro, who co-wrote the screenplay with Vanessa Taylor. It stars Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Octavia Spencer. Set in 1962 Baltimore, Maryland, the film follows a mute cleaner at a high-security government laboratory who falls in love with a captured humanoid amphibian creature and decides to help him escape from death at the hands of an evil colonel. Filming took place on location in Ontario, Canada, from August to November 2016.

The Shape Of Water was screened as part of the main competition in the 74th Venice International Film Festival, where it premiered on August 31, 2017, and was awarded the Golden Lion. It was also screened at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. It began a limited release in two theaters in New York City on December 1, 2017, before expanding wide on December 22, and grossed $195 million worldwide.

The Shape of Water was widely acclaimed by critics, who lauded its acting, screenplay, direction, visuals, production design, cinematography, and musical score. The American Film Institute selected it as one of the top ten films of 2017. The film was nominated for a leading thirteen awards at the 90th Academy Awards, winning four, including Best Picture and Best Director, and received numerous other accolades; it was the second fantasy film to win Best Picture, after The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). A novelization by del Toro and Daniel Kraus was published on March 6, 2018.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBFC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "The Shape of Water". kinorium.com. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  3. ^ Tapley, Kristopher (November 21, 2017). "Spirit Awards: 'Call Me by Your Name,' 'Get Out' Soar, 'Shape of Water' Shunned Again". Variety. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  4. ^ "2017 Feature Film Study" (PDF). FilmL.A. Feature Film Study: 25. August 8, 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 9, 2018. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  5. ^ "The Shape of Water". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.