A Fairy Tale for Troubled Times
An other-worldly story, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962, where a mute janitor working at a lab falls in love with an amphibious man being held captive there and devises a plan to help him escape.
I think that del Toro is one of my favourite directors. Even when I love his films I always appreciate them in some way. And this is a very del Toro-film. Fantastic creatures. Fairy tale story. Beautiful cinematography. It is well worth a watch.
And not only is it a beautiful looking film, but the story itself is lovely, tender and touching. It is also brutal and horrific in places. Another hallmark of del Toro, his violence is always hard to watch, as violence should be, I think.
I would like to rewatch this, because as much as I liked it I don’t think I quote loved it, although there is much to appreciate.
Shannon is a great actor and makes a wonderful villain. But everyone else is superb too. Hawkins is great in her role, and Spencer is great too. Everyone more than does their job.
However it is a bit light on plot, or maybe the story doesn’t have a lot of heft or depth to it. That is often the case with fairy tales though, so it goes with the territory.
So although I didn’t love this film I did really enjoy it and would certainly recommend it.
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