---
title: "The Shape of Water"
year: 2017
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-shape-of-water"
fi1m_id: "the-shape-of-water"
imdb_id: "tt5580390"
tmdb_id: 399055
wikidata_id: "Q26698156"
fi1m_score: 83
critics_score: 87
critics_reviews: 15
published: "2026-09-16"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:21.576035+00:00"
region: "BG"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Shape of Water (2017)

Directed by Guillermo del Toro · 2h 03m · Drama, Fantasy, Romance

## Identity

The Shape of Water

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-shape-of-water
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-shape-of-water
- **IMDb ID:** tt5580390
- **TMDB ID:** 399055
- **Wikidata ID:** Q26698156
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580390/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/399055, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q26698156

**Fi1m score: 83** · Critics 87 from 15 reviews

*In a sentence:* Sally Hawkins makes falling for an amphibian seem a more sensible choice than most screen romances

> Guillermo del Toro’s creature romance is tender, persuasive and sometimes too eager to tell us how to feel. Sally Hawkins and Doug Jones make the attraction convincing, even when the fairy tale becomes a little too tidy.

## Synopsis

In 1962, Elisa Esposito (Sally Hawkins) works as a cleaner in a government laboratory. Unable to speak, she encounters the Amphibian Man (Doug Jones), and her interest in the creature develops into attraction. She wants to be close to him, but neither fits easily into the society around them. Zelda Fuller (Octavia Spencer), Giles (Richard Jenkins) and Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon) are among the people drawn into their story. Their attachment takes shape amid Cold War suspicion and struggles over civil rights, in a society with firm ideas about who belongs and who does not.

## Review

*The Shape of Water* is a persuasive romance, and its great advantage is that Guillermo del Toro takes the attraction seriously from the start. Elisa Esposito, played by Sally Hawkins, is a cleaner who cannot speak; Doug Jones plays the Amphibian Man she falls for. The premise invites a certain amount of audience giggling, which the film has little interest in encouraging. We recommend it warmly, with a reservation about how often its fairy-tale sweetness needs underlining.

Sally Hawkins gives Elisa Esposito an appetite for closeness that never feels like an appeal for pity. Her wordless performance makes desire clear without turning every expression into an instruction for the audience. We were moved by how directly she communicates her attraction to the creature: there is no embarrassment in it, and no request that we make allowances. That conviction does more to establish the romance than any explanation of why these two belong together could.

Doug Jones matters just as much to this. An amphibious lover could remain an object for the camera while the human actor supplied all the feeling; his performance makes the relationship feel reciprocal. He gives Sally Hawkins someone to respond to, and the film gains intimacy from their non-verbal exchanges. For all the invitation to read them as representatives of everyone excluded from respectable society, the couple hold our attention as two particular beings who want contact.

Paul D. Austerberry’s production design establishes the 1960s government laboratory as a setting for a fairy tale without losing its period character. Dan Laustsen’s photography encourages us to look closely at the creature rather than recoil, which is an important part of making the attraction credible. There is pleasure in the finish of these images, though sometimes too much pleasure for the unease to survive. The prettiness occasionally reassures us before the scene has earned that reassurance.

Sidney Wolinsky’s editing has to accommodate romance, fantasy and the harsher demands of a creature film, and the central relationship is given enough room to develop. The shifts between tenderness and menace are mostly assured. Alexandre Desplat’s music is effective at encouraging surrender to the romance, less useful when the performances have already made the feeling clear. At those points, we would prefer to be left with the actors; the film’s eagerness to carry us along becomes a small distraction.

The limitation lies in the writing by Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor. The sympathy for people pushed aside is welcome, but the screenplay makes its sympathies so clear that there is little chance of being unsettled by them. A story about desire crossing such an enormous physical difference might allow more discomfort than this one does. We do not need the film to punish its lovers, or to apologise for them, but a little less reassurance would make their attachment more absorbing.

As an adult fairy tale, it succeeds through the seriousness of its actors and its willingness to let physical desire matter. Its creature-film elements provide a harsher edge, although the sentiment keeps smoothing it down. Anyone expecting the romance to arrive with an apologetic joke should know that Guillermo del Toro means it. Watch it for the lovers, and forgive the occasional nudge to love them.

*Fi1m score 83, published 16 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics respond warmly to The Shape of Water, with praise centred on Sally Hawkins and Guillermo del Toro’s handling of its unlikely romance. Hawkins’s wordless performance makes the attraction believable, while del Toro brings creature horror, fairy tale and romantic melodrama together with unusual assurance. The reviews also admire the production design and period detail, and many find substance in the film’s sympathy for outsiders and its politics of acceptance.

The disagreement concerns how much strangeness survives beneath that polish. The Guardian admires the sensory richness but finds the romance somewhat precious. The Ringer enjoys the fairy tale while arguing that del Toro leaves its darker possibilities underexplored. Slant Magazine goes further, finding the sentimentality impersonal and the borrowed genre elements insufficiently purposeful. The spread is wide, then, but strongly weighted towards praise: most critics find the central relationship sincere enough to carry the elaborate fantasy.

## Straight answers

**Is The Shape of Water worth watching?**

*The Shape of Water* is worth watching for anyone who can take a creature romance played entirely straight, and we scored it 83. Sally Hawkins and Doug Jones make the attraction between a mute cleaner and an amphibious man convincing without a single apologetic joke. Our reservation is that Guillermo del Toro underlines the fairy-tale sweetness more often than the performances need.

**How long is The Shape of Water, and what is it rated?**

*The Shape of Water* runs 2h 03m. It is a drama and fantasy film.

**Where can I watch The Shape of Water in Bulgaria?**

*The Shape of Water* is streaming on HBO Max and Disney+ in Bulgaria, and it is also available to rent from Apple TV from лв 2.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is The Shape of Water, and is it suitable for children?**

*The Shape of Water* carries a UK 15 certificate and is an adult fairy tale, not a film for children. It takes physical desire seriously and its creature-film elements bring moments of menace, though the tone is tender more often than it is frightening. Teenagers of fifteen and over who can accept the premise without giggling will be fine; younger viewers should be left out.

**How does The Shape of Water compare to Edward Scissorhands?**

*The Shape of Water* is the franker and more adult of the two, treating an outsider's desire as something to be shown rather than implied, while [*Edward Scissorhands*](https://film.one/film/edward-scissorhands) keeps its tenderness gentle enough for a family evening. Both build a carefully imagined world around a lover whose body makes ordinary closeness difficult. Choose del Toro for a romance that means it, Burton for the softer, more widely watchable fable.

**What should I watch after The Shape of Water?**

After *The Shape of Water*, try [*Starman*](https://film.one/film/starman) (1984, Fi1m 77): An alien visitor and a grieving woman give the unlikely romance human weight. Then [*Edward Scissorhands*](https://film.one/film/edward-scissorhands) (1990, Fi1m 83): For the tenderness towards an outsider whose body makes ordinary intimacy difficult; and [*Let the Right One In*](https://film.one/film/let-the-right-one-in) (2008, Fi1m 88): A colder, harsher companion, with affection and danger kept uncomfortably close together.

### Reviews we read (22)

- **Evening Standard**, Matthew Norman (5/5): The critic praises how del Toro and Sally Hawkins make an improbable mix of genres work triumphantly. Hawkins' mute performance is singled out as making the central romance utterly believable. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-shape-of-water-review-sally-hawkins-makes-a-splash-in-guillermo-del-toros-fantasy-romance-a3768241.html)
- **Little White Lies**, Matt Thrift (4/5/5): Del Toro crafts a fairy tale for grown-ups and his most perfect confection to date, a transcendent love story and timeless hymn to tolerance that synthesises classic monster movie influences with cinephile magic. It champions the 'other' through an extraordinary Sally Hawkins performance and peerless tonal mastery. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-shape-of-water)
- **The i Paper**, Matthew Turner (5/5): The critic calls it pure movie magic and a must-see, highlighting the blend of creature features, fairy tales and romance. Hawkins' performance is praised for selling the romance and desire. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/the-shape-of-water-review-guillermo-del-toro-monster-romance-96807)
- **The Telegraph** (5/5): The film is a pretzel-twist of pure strangeness that is both a B-movie blood-curdler and a boundlessly beautiful melodrama. Sally Hawkins delivers the performance of a lifetime in the role of Elisa. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/shape-water-reviewguillermo-del-toros-beautiful-blood-curdler/)
- **Empire**, Olly Richards (90/100, inferred): The critic finds it magical and equal to Pan's Labyrinth, noting del Toro balances dream, nightmare and realism while making an improbable romance feel reasonable. Hawkins' performance is singled out as superlative. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/shape-water-review/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (90/100, inferred): The film is a wonder to behold, a magical, thrilling and romantic sensual fairy tale that plays by all the rules and none of them. Del Toro elevates genre filmmaking to unexpected heights with his transcendent imagination, echoing Beauty and the Beast. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-the-shape-of-water-review-20171207-story.html)
- **Total Film**, Kevin Harley (90/100, inferred): The critic describes it as a full-blooded fable of outsider love that is timely and timeless. Hawkins is singled out for communicating non-verbal feeling with unforced charm. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-shape-of-water-review/)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (80/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a tremendous sensory experience that is visually ravishing but somewhat precious in its swooniness. Sally Hawkins gives a career-best performance as the mute woman who falls for the amphibious creature. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/feb/15/the-shape-of-water-review-guillermo-del-toro)
- **Slant Magazine**, Chuck Bowen (35/100, inferred): The critic criticizes the film for lacking the unruly streak of del Toro's other works, being overly sentimental and impersonal, fusing tropes without purpose. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-shape-of-water/)
- **Film Comment**, Steven Mears: The critic praises del Toro's expansive hybrid of influences in this shimmering fairy-tale romance about a mute janitor who falls for an amphibious creature. It singles out the film's un-sententious vision of marginalized characters uniting for tolerance in 1962. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/review-the-shape-of-water-guillermo-del-toro/)
- **Sight and Sound**, Nick James: Guillermo del Toro delivers a big romantic imaginative coup with a sly political undercurrent, blending fairytale imagery, B-movie creature fun, Hollywood romance and noir elements into an exhilarating multi-layered entertainment. The film excels through its all-round craft, fine cast led by Sally Hawkins, and its uplifting anti-fascist spirit. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/shape-water-review-guillermo-del-toros-magical-anti-fascist-fairytale)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney: The critic praises del Toro's enchanting fairy tale blending romance, fantasy, and political overtones, highlighting Sally Hawkins' exquisite performance and the film's visual and emotional ravishing quality. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/shape-of-water-venice-2017-1034220/)
- **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (NYT Critic’s Pick): The film is a code-scrambled fairy tale and genetically modified monster movie that is altogether wonderful. Del Toro fuses genre ardor with a startlingly sincere romantic sensibility in this interspecies romance set in a 1960s government lab. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/30/movies/the-shape-of-water-review-guillermo-del-toro.html)
- **Variety**, Guy Lodge: Del Toro is on peak form with this tender, ravishingly imagined romantic fantasy about a mute cleaning lady and an amphibian creature. It is an extravagantly romantic, pure-hearted adult fairytale that is his most rewarding film since Pan’s Labyrinth. [Read](https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/the-shape-of-water-review-1202543729/)
- **Den of Geek**, Ryan Lambie (5/5): The critic calls it del Toro's best film since Pan's Labyrinth, a superb horror romance with tenderness and warmth that celebrates otherness and forbidden love. It singles out the sumptuous period detail and the way it flips mid-20th-century genre norms on their head. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-shape-of-water-review-2/)
- **/Film**, Chris Evangelista (10/10): The critic hails it as possibly del Toro's masterpiece, a poetic love story and stunning romantic fable with dreamy grace and gorgeous moments. The sincere treatment of the unlikely romance, memorable characters and del Toro's filmmaking knowledge are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/553263/the-shape-of-water-review/)
- **The Playlist**, Jessica Kiang (A): The critic calls it a lovely fairy tale and del Toro's best film since Pan's Labyrinth, brimming with romance, adventure and idiosyncratic care in every frame. The exceptional cast, topical political elements and sincere interspecies love story are singled out for praise. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/shape-of-water-review-20170831/)
- **Collider**, Brian Formo (A-): The critic praises the film as a delicate and timely romance and del Toro's Beauty and the Beast, highlighting its sumptuous fairytale elements, visual communication, production design, and themes of acceptance for marginalized characters in a volatile time period. [Read](https://collider.com/the-shape-of-water-review/)
- **HeyUGuys**, Jo-Ann Titmarsh (80/100, inferred): The critic finds del Toro has crafted a beautiful romantic film that is also a paean to cinema, layering sci-fi, Cold War and civil rights elements successfully. The strong cast, especially Sally Hawkins, and nods to other films are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-shape-of-water-review/)
- **The Ringer**, K. Austin Collins (60/100, inferred): The critic finds it an enjoyable fairy tale with a pure interspecies romance and love of movie magic but notes its limits, as del Toro fails to fully exploit the radical weirdness or darker elements of the story. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2017/12/04/movies/the-shape-of-the-writer-film-review-guillermo-del-toro)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond: The critic calls it a magical masterpiece and romantic fever dream, the most emotional and humane film from del Toro, praising the sweeping romantic magic, visual splendor, and flawless silent performance by Sally Hawkins. [Read](https://deadline.com/2017/11/the-shape-of-water-review-guillermo-del-toro-sally-hawkins-michael-shannon-doug-jones-1202216144/)
- **The Wrap**: The critic praises del Toro's genre-bending love story as a gorgeous and grotesque romance that feels personal and heartfelt, highlighting the performances of Sally Hawkins and Doug Jones as particularly swoon-worthy and emotionally powerful. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/the-shape-of-water-review-guillermo-del-toro/)

## Details

- **Director:** Guillermo del Toro
- **Director:** Guillermo del Toro
- **Screenplay:** Vanessa Taylor, Guillermo del Toro
- **Story:** Guillermo del Toro
- **Cinematography:** Dan Laustsen
- **Editor:** Sidney Wolinsky
- **Music:** Alexandre Desplat
- **Production design:** Paul Denham Austerberry
- **Costume design:** Luis Sequeira
- **Producer:** Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale
- **Cast:** Sally Hawkins as Elisa Esposito; Michael Shannon as Richard Strickland; Richard Jenkins as Giles; Octavia Spencer as Zelda Fuller; Michael Stuhlbarg as Dr. Robert Hoffstetler; Doug Jones as Amphibian Man; David Hewlett as Fleming; Nick Searcy as General Hoyt
- **Runtime:** 2h 03m
- **First release (Italy):** 31 August 2017
- **Genres:** Drama, Fantasy, Romance
- **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Winner, 2017); [BAFTA Best Film winners](https://film.one/collections/bafta-best-film.md) (Nominee, 2017); [Golden Globe Best Drama winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-drama.md) (Nominee, 2017); [Golden Lion winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-lion.md) (Winner, 2017)
- **Budget:** $20 million
- **Box office:** $195 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRKnlUanptY

## Where to watch in Bulgaria

- HBO Max: streaming
- Disney+: streaming, uhd
- Apple TV: rent лв 2.99, hd
- Apple TV: buy лв 8.99, sd

*Checked 2026-09-16.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IL, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TR, UA, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2018: Best Actress (nominated); Best Cinematography (nominated); Best Costume Design (nominated); Best Film Editing (nominated); Best Sound (nominated); Best Sound Editing (nominated); Best Supporting Actor (nominated); Best Supporting Actress (nominated); Best Writing, Original Screenplay (nominated); Best Director (won); Best Original Score (won); Best Picture (won); Best Production Design (won)
- IFFR audience award 2018: IFFR audience award (nominated)
- Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Film 2017: Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Film (won)
- Venice Film Festival 2017: Golden Lion (won)

## If you liked this

- *Beauty and the Beast* (1946): Another creature romance that takes desire seriously without making its lovers ordinary.
- *Starman* (1984), Fi1m 77: An alien visitor and a grieving woman give the unlikely romance human weight. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/starman.md)
- *Edward Scissorhands* (1990), Fi1m 83: For the tenderness towards an outsider whose body makes ordinary intimacy difficult. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/edward-scissorhands.md)
- *Let the Right One In* (2008), Fi1m 88: A colder, harsher companion, with affection and danger kept uncomfortably close together. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/let-the-right-one-in.md)
- *Border* (2018): For a more troubling attraction between outsiders, with less reassurance about their difference.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-shape-of-water