The Importance of an Honest Portrayal.

The Shape of Water shows the reality of things for those of us that fit into a minority group, unlike a lot of movies that tell half truths of the stories of minorities, this movie does not shy away from showing the oppressors as they truly are. There is no white knight in this movie, the downtrodden band together and find a way to save themselves or die trying. The main character is a mute woman with visible scars, her friends consist of a black woman and a gay middle aged man. The character that comes to help them in the eleventh hour is a soviet spy, but also a scientist who wants to do good. Please also note that Michael Stuhlbarg is Jewish, which I feel is important to point out because of his possible reasons for choosing to star in this movie, but also the personal experiences he would have brought to his performance.

The reality of being a minority is that no white knight will come to save you from the oppression they don’t even see. This movie shows the reality of minorities looking out for each other. As an aside I view the fact that everyone’s okay with Eliza falling for the amphibian man from second zero is the portrayal of minority solidarity. In reality minorities look out for each other, support each other and hold each other up, it’s the only way we survive. These characters all saw a bit of themselves in each other and found compassion for one another while finding none of it in their oppressors.

The amphibian man is a metaphor for every minority, it’s easier to film the torture and pain of something inhuman, but the true genius is building him up and humanising him. The way the camera treats him in comparison to Strickland literally asks the question “who’s really the monster here?” This question isn’t posed in a kitsch or tacky way, it’s a genuine question that minorities want to ask the general populous every day.

Along with the genuine portrayal of minorities, the portrayal of oppression. The way it’s normalised, the way everyone reacts to the acts of oppression and abuse, the way no one bats an eye, the way the oppression is blamed on the oppressed. The way the camera treats these situations is so reflective of the real experience of those situations. It doesn’t shy away from showing the true horrors of humanity and in that way this is the most honest film on this subject that I’ve ever seen. I think it’s a truly powerful and important film.