Gillermo del Toro Show the World His Latest Monster in ‘The Shape of the Water’

In an NPR podcast with Gillermo del Toro, the host Neil Conan begins the podcast by introducing ‘Pans Labyrinth’ and discussing the idea that real monsters are in fact human. He continues by talking about a character called Zack Goodweather and states that “good and evil were malleable.” This is an interesting concept as situations often are not clear cut. One individual may believe that they are doing the right thing where another may view the actions as completely heinous. In Pans Labyrinth, the general likely view his actions of murdering the doctor as justified because by definition, he was a trader. Anyone viewing this however, likely saw his actions as extreme and vile. Neil Conan also hints at the idea of a monster being a person of power who is corrupt and uses their power in a way that shows no measure of control.
Guillermo del Toro discussed the novel’s set up of the extermination of the rich and powerful, and the realization “that we all are pawns of a battle between good and evil, that our actions can be measured in spiritual terms, even when we live very prosaic lives.” He also later says that it is disturbing that the human race has become acclimated to this brutality and corruption of power. He makes an excellent point. In modern day our president is an egotistical maniac with a racist xenophobic agenda. Throughout his campaign, he was supported and sponsored by a racist (read terrorist) organization, the Ku Klux Klan, who was historically responsible for the lynching of many African Americans.
Later in the podcast, Guillermo del Torro talks about how people revert to a savage nature easily. We then revert back to a civilized nature just as fast. We see this in what is now perceived as trivial moments in life such as incidents concerning road rage. One driver gets angry at another and tries to scare him or cause an accident, or simply makes profane gestures at them while speeding past.
Guillermo del Torro has featured his latest monster in his new movie, ‘ The Shape of the Water.’ In regards to this new creature he says, “But we’re created in the Lord’s image. You don’t think that’s what the Lord looks like, do you?” The author is known for his other worldly fairy tales, which he goes on to have turned into movies.
The new film takes place in the time period of the Cold War. Everyone was on edge, and preparing for the worst. Some of the cast includes people such as Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones and Michael Stuhlbarg. The trailer for the movie discusses a princess without a voice, who appears to go about some form of a mundane routine. Every day she pulls a new date off of her calendar, gets ready for work, and has people tell her what to do. The main character meets the monster in a lab. It is intelligent, stands on two legs, and appears to be scaly in texture. As music plays, it can be seen dancing in a chamber in the back ground. The main character begins to feel as though she can relate, or some form of a connection with the monster who does not judge her for being unable to speak. The scientists in the lab want to dissect it, and she having started what appears to be a romantic relationship with the creature that lives in the water, decides that she wants to save it. A legend about the monster, as well as the main character, is revealed, and we get a better understanding as to why she may want to save him. The movie is scheduled to be shown in theaters on December 8, 2017.
Originally published at www.ifashionnetwork.com on July 22, 2017.
