How did “The Shape of Water,” a movie about a mute cleaning woman falling truly, madly, deeply in love with a fish-man, wind up winning the Oscar for best picture?
It starts with the power of love, the film’s Oscar-winning director, Guillermo del Toro, says.
“Love is much stronger than hatred and it’s much more powerful than fear,” Del Toro told The Times in a November interview. “Love is the antidote to what we’re living through today.”
That timely resonance helped “The Shape of Water” become the first sci-fi film to win best picture, with Del Toro pulling off a feat that eluded the likes of Steven Spielberg (“E.T.”), George Lucas (“Star Wars”), James Cameron (“Avatar”), Christopher Nolan (“Inception”) and fellow Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón (“Gravity”). (We’re classifying “The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” as a fantasy film, as director Peter Jackson did when he accepted the Oscar.)
Director Guillermo del Toro explains that ”The Shape of Water” is set in 1962 ”for a reason. Because it’s about today. And about the ‘other’ ... I wanted to talk about things now.”
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“Shape’s” favor with the academy — it earned a leading 13 nominations, winning four — was also undoubtedly helped by the way it explored societal fears of the Other.
“It’s set in 1962, but, for me, this is today,” the Mexican-born Del Toro said. Pointing to the movie’s Cold War era, he added: “When people say, ‘Let’s make America great again,’ they’re dreaming of that time. Everything was great if you were white Anglo-Saxon and Protestant. If you were anything else, you were [screwed]. So it’s a false memory of that time.”
The film’s across-the-board support in the industry — it won top prizes from the Producers Guild and Directors Guild as well — was also probably aided by its baked-in love for cinema. Its main characters live above a beautiful movie theater, and the sound from the venue’s showings bleeds into the action, making cinema a constant presence as it is in Del Toro’s life.
Del Toro shot “Shape” like a musical, constantly moving the camera on cranes and dollies, aiming for the illusion that the characters might break into song at any moment. He also included a dream dance sequence that would have made Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers proud.
“I wanted to make it feel like a love letter to movies,” Del Toro said in that earlier interview. “It’s passionate about movies because I’m passionate about movies. Movies gave me life. Movies saved my life.”
Del Toro used a great many B-movie tropes in “Shape” but took the film to surprising places as well. Its beauty-and-the-beast tale is a love story about understanding, not transformation. The lovers’ passion is reciprocal and almost immediate. The roadblocks come from outside forces. And, perhaps the best curveball of all: Sally Hawkins’ janitor drives the action. She’s the one who needs to save the day.
And, unlike most creature flicks, the love story is not only consummated but has the kind of upbeat ending that Del Toro wanted to see when he first caught “Creature from the Black Lagoon” on television at age 7.
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Costume designer Mark Bridges (“Phantom Thread”), with Helen Mirren in tow, rides onstage with the jet ski he won for having the fastest winners’ speech during the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards.
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Guillermo del Toro and the cast of “The Shape of Water” assemble onstage after the film wins the top prize at the 90th Academy Awards on Sunday.
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Guillermo del Toro celebrates the power of storytelling as he accepts the Oscar for directing “The Shape of Water.”.
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Jimmy Kimmel and Mark Hamill walk among the crowd during the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards.
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Actors Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty prepare to announce the best picture winner at the 90th Academy Awards.
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Ashley Judd, from left, Annabella Sciorra and Salma Hayek present a Time’s Up segment during the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards.
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Jane Fonda and Helen Mirren present the Oscar for lead actor.
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Jodie Foster, left, and Jennifer Lawrence present the award for lead actress, stepping in after Casey Affleck withdrew from the show.
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Nominees Margot Robbie, Saoirse Ronan, Sally Hawkins and Meryl Streep hug after the lead actress award, which went to Frances McDormand, was announced.
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Frances McDormand accepts the award for lead actress for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, then prepares to say a few things.
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Gary Oldman accepts his Oscar for lead actor in “Darkest Hour.”
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Keala Settle performs during the 90th Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland in Hollywood.
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Performers with Keala Settle wander into the audience during the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards.
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Actress Nicole Kidman prepares to present the Oscar for original screenplay.
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Guillermo del Toro delivers a speech after he won the directing Oscar for “The Shape of Water.”
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French composer Alexandre Desplat accepts his Oscar for original score for “The Shape of Water.”
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Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez are overcome after winning original song for “Remember Me” from the animated film “Coco” during the 90th Academy Awards.
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Roger Deakins wins the Oscar for cinematography for “Blade Runner 2049” at the 90th Academy Awards.
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Writer-director Jordan Peele holds his Oscar for original screenplay for “Get Out” during the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards.
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Lin-Manuel Miranda, left, and Emily Blunt present the award for best original song at the Oscars.
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Writer-director Jordan Peele is congratulated by “Get Out” star Daniel Kaluuya for winning the Oscar for original screenplay.
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Eddie Vedder performs during the “In Memoriam” tribute at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre.
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The crowd reacts as James Ivory wins the Oscar for adapted screenplay for “Call Me by Your Name” during the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards.
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Common and Andra Day perform a song from “Marshall” during the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards.
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Lee Smith wins the film editing Oscar for “Dunkirk,” with presenter Matthew McConaughey leading him offstage.
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Nicole Kidman steps onto the stage to present the award for original screenplay at the Oscars.
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Actors Chadwick Boseman and Margot Robbie speak onstage during the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre.
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Sufjan Stevens sings during the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards.
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Actor Matthew McConaughey speaks during the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre.
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Filmmakers Rachel Shenton and Chris Overton accept the Academy Award for live action short film for “The Silent Child.”
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Comedian Dave Chappelle speaks onstage during the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre.
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Tiffany Haddish, left, and Maya Rudolph present the award for best documentary short subject at the Oscars.
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Gina Rodriguez presents John Nelson with the award for visual effects for “Blade Runner 2049” at the Oscars.
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Filmmaker Frank Stiefel accepts the Acaemy Award for short subject documentary for “Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405.”
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Daniela Vega, star of foreign-language Oscar winner “A Fantastic Woman,” introduces a song performance during the 90th Academy Awards.
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Actor Matthew McConaughey introduces the film editing nominees onstage during the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center.
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“The Last Jedi’s” BB-8 accompanies actors Oscar Isaac, Mark Hamill and Kelly Marie Tran onstage during the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in L.A.
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NBA champ Kobe Bryant, left, and Glen Keane accept the Academy Award for animated short film for “Dear Basketball.”
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Host Jimmy Kimmel interacts with his 9-year-old self in a skit during the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards.
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Director Sebastián Lelio accepts the Oscar for foreign-language film “A Fantastic Woman” from Chile.
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Allison Janney accepts the supporting actress Academy Award for “I, Tonya” during the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre.
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Mark Rizzo, left, Gregg Landaker and Mark Weingarten win the Academy Award for sound mixing for “Dunkirk.”
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Rita Moreno presents the award for best foreign language film at the Oscars.
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Presenters Lupita Nyong’o and Kumail Nanjiani give a shout-out to “all the Dreamers out there” onstage during the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre.
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Jeffrey A. Melvin, from left, Paul Denham Austerberry and Shane Vieau accept the Academy Award for production design for “The Shape of Water.”
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Singers Miguel and Natalia Lafourcade perform “Remember Me” from the animated film “Coco” onstage during the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre.
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Natalia Lafourcade and Miguel perform on a colorful stage during the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre.
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Actors Eiza Gonzalez and Ansel Elgort walk onstage during the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center.
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Director Bryan Fogel, right, celebrates next to producer Dan Cogan, bottom, after they won the Oscar for documentary feature for “Icarus” during the 90th Academy Awards.
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Greta Gerwig, left, and Laura Dern walk onstage to present the award for best documentary feature at the Oscars.
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Taraji P. Henson speaks onstage, introducing a performance by Mary J. Blige, during the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre.
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Mary. J Blige performs “Mighty River” from “Mudbound” at the Oscars.
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Sam Rockwell accepts the suppoorting actor Academy Award for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” at the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center.
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Actress Helen Mirren presents the jet ski that Oscar winners could take home if they have the shortest speech during the 90th Academy Awards.
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Host Jimmy Kimmel motions towards the Oscar statue, speaking about its characteristics that make Oscar “the ideal man,” during the opening monologue during the 90th Academy Awards.
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Host Jimmy Kimmel delivers his opening monologue at the 90th Academy Awards.
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Host Jimmy Kimmel speaks onstage during the 90th Academy Awards.
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Someone dressed as the amphibious creature from “The Shape of Water” is guided through the crowd during the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards.
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Director Greta Gerwig walks through the crowd in the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood before the Academy Awards show begins.
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Director Steven Spielberg takes a photo with his phone during the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards.
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“Mudbound” and “Black Panther” cinematographer Rachel Morrison greets others before the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards in the Dolby Theatre.
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Meryl Streep greets Jennifer Lawrence before the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards in the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center.
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Christopher Plummer looks for his seat before the telecast of the 90th Academy Awards.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) “I fell in love with them in love,” Del Toro said. “I remember thinking, ‘I hope they end up together. They should end up together.’ They didn’t. So I’ve been trying to get them back together ever since.”
“The Shape of Water” premiered in August at the Venice Film Festival, winning the event’s prestigious Golden Lion award. From there, the film screened at the Telluride and Toronto film festivals, gaining more critical acclaim along the way.
Its path to best picture wasn’t without its hiccups, however. “Shape” didn’t earn a Screen Actors Guild ensemble nod, a category that has long been viewed as a vital awards season precursor. (“Shape” is the only movie since “Braveheart” to win the best picture Oscar without that SAG ensemble nomination.)
The movie also faced two accusations of plagiarism, both of which Del Toro strongly denied.
Though he had only one prior Oscar nomination, for writing the “Pan’s Labyrinth” original screenplay, the gregarious Del Toro is extremely well-liked in the industry as a filmmaker with an abounding enthusiasm for the medium.
“I felt incredibly honored,” Hawkins says of her collaboration with Del Toro. “That he would trust me with this role of a woman who possesses a strength she doesn’t know she has, and then she discovers it and it just explodes her heart open and it allows her to literally break through walls. Who else could write that?”
Hawkins added that she thought her character resonated in this #MeToo year in which women spoke out forcefully against sexual harassment and gender inequity in the industry.
“We need to see more women like her driving movies,” Hawkins told The Times.
The film’s lavish craftsmanship — it won Oscars for production design and score, along with nominations for its cinematography, sound and editing — were all the more remarkable given its $19.5-million budget.
“You make the movie for that price and then you’re free from interference,” producer J. Miles Dale told The Times in February. The film shot in Toronto on stages from Dale and Del Toro’s FX television series “The Strain,” using much of the show’s crew.
“We definitely had our moments of frustration, lots of long days, but I don’t think anyone’s complaining now,” Dale said.
Del Toro has lived in Toronto the last few years, but as he made clear from the stage Sunday, he considers the sets of his films his spiritual home. With “The Shape of Water,” he created a place of community that, judging from the Oscars on Sunday, extended well beyond those that worked on the film.
“I think that the greatest thing our art does and our industry does is to erase the lines in the sand,” Del Toro said, accepting his Oscar for directing. “We should continue doing that when the world tells us to make them deeper.”
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