Briefly On The Shape Of Water.

Admittedly this doesn’t strictly fall within the remit of Hope Lies at 24 Frames Per Second, but I wanted to express my thoughts on Guillermo del Toro’s latest film, the magnificent The Shape Of Water, in a capacity with a greater sense of permanence than the various social media platforms on which I have been singing its praises.

Del Toro’s film is just the most beautiful, magical piece of work. A fusion of melodrama, heist flick, monster movie and musical, The Shape Of Water is a powerful and heartfelt tribute to the outsider, and a work that oozes with a passionate sense of cinephilia (the work of Jean Cocteau feels like one of the film’s countless touchpoints). It opens in a couple of weeks time, and if there’s any justice Del Toro will take home the Academy Award for Best Director come Oscar night.