Best Actress in a Leading Role 2017: Sally Hawkins in The Shape of Water

Sally Hawkins received her second Oscar nomination for her performance as Elisa Esposito in The Shape of Water.

The Shape of Water is a great love story between a mute, lonely janitor and an amphibious creature who is held in captivity in the research facility she works at. Considering its very odd premise, the movie could have been a complete disaster - not only because the central relationship could have been hard to buy, but also because the screenplay is rather unsubtle in its delivery of its message of social oppression and discrimination. The reason why everything works is Guillermo Del Toro's incredible direction: it's his vision that turns the movie into an incredibly compelling, melancholic and heartbreaking love story and it's his ability to work with actors that elevates the character from being a symbol for the oppressed to being three-dimensional, full-fledged human beings. This is not a criticism towards the screenplay though as the writing, that would have fallen flat in any other movie, is a perfect fit for Del Toro's fairytale-like depiction of the story. The cinematography is quite simply stunning and it fits so perfectly the mood of the movie - at times ethereal and dreamy, at others chillingly nightmarish. Another reason I like the movie so much is that it's a love letter to movies in general, especially 1950s musicals to which Del Toro pays homage without falling into mere quotationism.

Del Toro said about the character of Elisa that he wanted the viewer "to believe that this woman would be sitting next to you on the bus" but for her to also have "a luminosity, a beauty, almost magical, ethereal". Then I'd say he made an absolutely perfect choice by casting Sally Hawkins in the leading role: she's a generally appealing, warm presence to have on-screen and whenever she is given a complex character to work with she is absolutely trascendent. Hawkins' greatness as an actress is her ability to find the beauty in apparently ordinary character and this ability of her has never been used better than in The Shape of Water: the camera loves her face and she conveys so many emotions with just a glance it's astounding. Her acting here is in many ways reminiscent of the great silent performances of 1920s: her sweetness and delicatacy on-screen reminded me of Janet Gaynor's heartwarming, Oscar-winning turn in Sunrise. There is no other way to describe her portrayal but luminous: she lights up the screen whenever she appears and she fills the character with endearing innocence and simplicity without ever turning her into a caricature. Right from the start, she is extremely affecting at portraying Elisa's solitude - she never makes it an overwhelming factor but she brings an underlying loneliness to the character that is absolutely heartbreaking. And moreover she works wonderfully with Octavia Spencer, as Elisa's friend and colleague Zelda, and Richard Jenkins, as Elisa's closeted neighbour and best friend Giles. Her scenes with the latter are especially moving as the two actors create such a touching friendship based on mutual empathy and understanding.

As I mentioned above, the love story between Elisa and the creature (played by Doug Jones) could have easily been unconvincing, especially considering there is obviously no dialogue between the two, but Del Toro and actors manage to pull it off. Hawkins and Jones, who brings heart and feeling to the creature, deliver an amazing acting duet here mostly made of physical gestures and longing glances: their performances are so perfectly in sync and they convey beautifully the sincere, poignant connection between these two lonely, misunderstood souls. Hawkins is incredible at portraying Elisa's fascination, then attraction that finally grows into love for the creature and she plays all the steps of their relationship with emotional honesty and delicacy. The "He sees me for who I am" scene is heartbreakingly acted by Hawkins who expresses so poignantly Elisa's plight and her genuine love for the so called "Asset" - it has to be noted too that she physical acting is pretty amazing as well and she pulls off sign language extremely well. What I particularly love is that Hawkins is not afraid to dive into the erotic aspect of the relationship as well: she convincingly portrays Elisa's physical attraction too and it's her and Jones' commitment that makes the more explicit scenes between the two work.

Another aspect of Sally Hawkins' performance that I love is her anti-chemistry with Michael Shannon, who plays the Colonel Strickland, the one responsible for the creature's capture. Hawkins is great at portraying an inner strength and resilience in her scenes opposite him and her "Fuck you" in sign language stands as one of the most deliciously memorable elements of the movie. Strickland being a constant threat for them, Elisa is forced to realize that if she wants the creature to leave they will have to part. Hawkins is absolutely heartbreaking at portraying her character's pain at having to leave her beloved which leads to my favorite scene in the movie: Elisa's daydream in which she can speak and sings and dance with her lover as if she were in a black and white movie. It's an extremely powerful moment that is acted to perfection by Hawkins, who conveys the longing and love of Elisa until the dream ends and she is forced to face the hard truth - and Hawkins portrays this realization heartbreakingly. As the movie reaches to its climax, Hawkins manages not to be overwhelmed by the extremely fast pace but keeps Elisa front and center of the movie thanks to her compelling, passionate performance.

Sally Hawkins delivers an absolutely unforgettable performance wonderfully enhanced by Guillermo Del Toro's direction. She's luminous and transcendent all the way through, bringing the central character and love story beautifully to life. An amazing performance from a terrific, underrated actress.

5/5