We're longtime fans of Guillermo del Toro's work, and this first trailer for his upcoming film The Shape of Water hints that the new movie will be just as imaginative and unforgettable as his previous outings. Watch the haunting first trailer for the new film below.
The unconventional romance is set during the Cold War, and follows Elisa (Sally Hawkins), a lonely cleaning woman at a government facility. Elisa's life is forever changed when she and her co-worker and friend Zelda (Octavia Spencer) discover that the lab is housing a strange amphibious beast (played by Doug Jones). Will the creature change Eliza's life forever? The fantasy film also stars Richard Jenkins, Michael Shannon, and Michael Stuhlbarg.
The film's official description says the movie brings a fairy tale atmosphere to the familiar setting of Cold War-era America, and that's clear from this first trailer. The bittersweet score and gorgeous cinematography displayed here indicate that the story of Eliza and the mysterious beast will be one to remember.
As Eliza goes through her monotonous days as a cleaner, it seems that everything changes when the aquatic creature arrives. Since Eliza is voiceless, Hawkins must find different ways to portray her character's emotions and humor. Powerfully, the trailer ends with a message in sign language from Eliza: If we do nothing in the face of injustice, we are nothing.
Since she is a voiceless person, perhaps Eliza will be able to understand the powerlessness of another being that is also misunderstood. With such an original idea from one of the biggest names in cinema, it's hard to imagine that this film won't be a hit.
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Renowned for movies like Pan's Labryinth, the Hellboy series, Crimson Peak, and Pacific Rim — to name just some — del Toro has a history of humanizing even the strangest creatures. It's clear that the fish-man played by Jenkins will steal our hearts when the movie finally hits theaters, but whether he and Eliza's love story will have a happy ending is anyone's guess.
The Shape of Water comes to theaters on December 8, 2017.
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Poster for The Shape of Water
Photo Credit: Fox Searchlight
Featured still from "The Shape of Water" via Fox Searchlight Pictures
