As most of the Oscar winning and nominated films have filtered into the library this month, I've been checking them out to see what all the hubbub was about. Here I have selected three of the top contenders for Best Picture, which The Shape of Water ultimately won, and reviewed them.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
This is one of the most vile and morally bankrupt films I
have ever seen. It tries to tackle every current hot-button issue, which is
certainly why most of the awards shows loved it, but it does it in the worst
way possible. It mostly operates in blunt absurdism, working with one of the
worst scripts committed to screen that doesn’t reflect real human speech,
thought or action. A lot of the script is just projected, rather than acted,
e.g. the entirety of the “I hope I get [redacted] on the way!” scene. Sorry for the "[redacted]", but this film is full of foulness. Anyways, that scene doesn’t particularly make a great case for Mildred missing her daughter so
much. I’m sure a quiet moment between them later would have better reflected
their relationship, but it is never presented. A redemption arc is presented
for Sam Rockwell’s abhorrently violent and racist deputy, though, and I’m sorry,
but he is irredeemable. I’m kind of shocked he got an award for this? I mean,
isn’t he the personification of what Hollywood is supposedly fighting against?
I’m not saying they shouldn’t reward great acting, even if it’s against their
message, but these actors were merely playing wild caricatures instead of
characters in a film that has a highly disturbing ending message.
Lady Bird
Greta Gerwig makes a stunning debut as a director, breathing
life and vivacity into the modern (well, it's actually 2002) coming of age
tale. It's an awkward tale, but in an endearing way. Stylistically,
Gerwig presents Lady Bird's (Saoirse Ronan) last two semesters of catholic
school through fragments, some funny, some heart-wrenching, but altogether
wonderful. It feels incredibly true to life and like a daydream of memories.
All around, Lady Bird is well-acted,
but Laurie Metcalf is the real knockout here as Lady Bird's mother. She taps
into every mother's hopes, fears and dreams for their children... and for
themselves. I just can't stress how fantastic she is in this. Okay, I can - she
should have won Best Supporting Actress.
The Shape of Water
The Shape of Water
suffers from the same malady surrounding most of director/writer Guillermo del
Toro's work - it's hollow and full of contrivances. The key problem is that
Elisa's (Sally Hawkins) relationship with Amphibian Man (Doug Jones) is no tale
as old as time. For the most part, it feels more like Elisa is feeding and taking
in a stray animal, rather than courting a beau. That makes things really
awkward when she suddenly strips and presents herself to Amphibian Man. Did he
have any concept of what she was doing? It makes for an awkward watch, and
while the ending is meant to be beautiful and touching, especially with that revelation seen a thousand miles
away, I only felt indifference. I think their relationship would have been more
endearing if it hadn't have turned so carnal.
Outside of the central relationship, the story pays no
respect to logic or its supporting characters. Logic dictates that you can't
flood your bathroom up to the ceiling by just putting a towel at the base of
your door, but that's what happens here. And there's no warped boards or black
mold afterwards! Such luck! As for the supporting characters, Elisa's friends
are a diverse duo, one a person of color (Octavia Spencer) and the other a gay
man (Richard Jenkins), but don't let that fool you into thinking this is
progressive. Jenkins' character ends up with nothing - absolutely nothing. It's
like he's only being punished for the sake of plot. I'm not going to help
Elisa! *all hope is stripped away in one
day* Okay, I'm going to help Elisa!
Was del Toro feeling some Catholic guilt? It certainly feels that way.
I know I’m beating The
Shape of Water up pretty badly here, but it does have its positive
attributes. The gothic production design is phenomenal, it is a del Toro film,
after all, but the film really shines through its performances. While Sally
Hawkins is mostly silent (until she breaks out into a random song and dance
number) due to Elisa being a mute, she's very expressive and a funny-looking beauty. Octavia Spencer is
as sharp and sassy as ever. Richard Jenkins is good, but he deserved better.
The real star, however, is Michael Shannon. I had to rewatch the mini-monologue
he had in the bathroom because it awed me. The guy's got chutzpah... and dirty
hands. Shannon really seems like a man that could snap at any moment.
In the end, I guess I can see why The Shape of Water won Best Picture,
seeing as it's much more subdued and nuanced than the very angry Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,
but out of all the contenders I've seen, Lady
Bird has soared the most.
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