I am on a catch-up-on-Oscar-nominations spree! The last weekend I saw two of the movies from the Oscar nominations list. Here are my very brief thoughts on both.
The Shape of Water
The Shape of Water maybe tired storytelling in terms of its theme – boy/girl who falls in love with monster stands to meet tragic end. With a long lineage of movies that probably begins with Frankenstein and which go on to include popular ones like ET, The Fly, and King Kong, The Shape of Water might seem jaded. But there is a certain poetry in the relationship between Elisa Esposito (Sally Hawkins), a mute, and therefore mostly lonely, janitor in a research facility and the creature, named the Asset, who is imprisoned there.
It’s very much a fairy tale for adults, and it’s the visuals that really make the movie come alive. It reminded me in some ways of 2016’s hit sci-fi flick Arrival where communication forms the core of the story although here it’s more about how a person is understood for what she is. I loved what Elisa says when she describes why she is attracted to the Asset,
When he looks at me, the way he looks at me. He does not know what I lack or how I am incomplete. He sees me for what I am, as I am. He’s happy to see me Every time, every day. And now I can either save him or let him die.
I also liked this very thought provoking line where Giles (Richard Jenkins) is struggling to understand why Elisa wants to save the Asset so much.
Giles: Oh God! It’s not even human.
Elisa: If we do nothing neither are we.
I did find some parts a bit too far fetched but hey, it’s a story to be enjoyed without annoying interruptions from logic. Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine, Maudie) is a treat to watch, and Octavia Spencer (The Help, Hidden Figures) just gets better and better with each movie. Watch it for them, and for the beautiful artistry on screen by director Guillermo del Toro (best known for Pan’s Labyrinth).
Rating: 4/5
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
What do you do when your daughter is raped and killed, and the police investigation seems to be winding down with disinterest? You put up three big billboards questioning the officers’ work. That’s what Mildred (Frances McDormand) does in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (TBOEM), which has a very “Fargo” feel to it with the bleak atmosphere, and a motley crowd that makes up the tiny little town of Ebbing.
TBOEM is about pain. The pain of loss, the pain of grieving, the pain of not knowing, and the pain of facing impending death. Officer Willoughby (Woody Harrelson) is seemingly the only person who takes the billboards seriously, and is frustrated with the lack of evidence. He is also dying of cancer, and he finally gives up. On Mildred, on his family, and on himself. The investigation is then taken up by Dixon (Sam Rockwell) a mamma’s boy and a racist who is accused of torturing black suspects.
The plot moves from darkly comic in the beginning to deeper shades, acquiring layers of character. Sharp and socially driven, TBOEM must be watched for stellar performances by Frances McDormand (Fargo), and Sam Rockwell (Conviction, Frost/Nixon).
Rating: 3.8/5
