Movies have been a large part of my life ever since I could watch them and actually understand what was going on, so I live for the Oscars and seeing great movies getting awarded for all the hard work that they entail.
This year was an odd year because I had not seen a lot of the movies that were nominated including the best picture winner The Shape of Water.
I had heard mixed reviews because it has a unique plot, to say the least, but for some, it was refreshing to have a different plot and see something that is unlike most movies that have come out in the past.
Since it won Best Picture I thought I had to give it a chance and I must say I am a little disappointed. The Shape of Water is a good movie, but the movies that it was competing against were honestly much better. Movies like Dunkirk, Phantom Thread, The Darkest Hour just had so much more to them and drew a little more emotion to them.
I was astounded by the cinematography of the movie and the detailed design on the fish-man. I loved the tint of green and blue that remained throughout the movie, and water has always been such a fascinating element to use, so the intro scene with everything underwater automatically drew me in, which I believe is why it won Best Picture.
The soundtrack in The Shape of Water was fantastic, I loved the classical flow and I think it fits the theme of water so well as it carried throughout. Because Eliza was mute I think the music played a larger part in the story because it almost expressed things that the character could not through speech.
I thought it was really powerful when she talked to her neighbor, Giles, about how when he looked at her he did not know what she lacked like all others did. I loved that sense of acceptance.
However, I cannot understand the romantic connection. The idea of a fish and a woman having an intimate relationship is something that I cannot get behind. It is too outlandish to me. I would love for it to have been just a grand friendship because I think that it still could have gotten the same message across of acceptance beyond any sort of differences.
It was obviously hard to relate to that aspect of the movie, rather than the struggles of the characters in the other nominated movies, which gave the other movies a higher spot no my list. As great as certain aspects of this movie were, the plot itself was not something that could win Best Picture for me.