richard jenkins and sally hawkins in the shape of water
Octavia and I as “the invisible people” of the time. There is the scene in the film where Giles tries to hold hands with the man who works in the pie shop; something that is so simple today had to involve such risk back then. How have you seen things change, or not, for LGBTQ people since then? Things do move forward, but at times they take
a step back and then start moving forward again. Love is love, so (anti-LGBTQ people should) stop trying to do something to stop it. It’s a whole different world. Being gay wasn’t even on our radar and no one talked about it. What was it like working with the wonderful Sally Hawkins? She’s incredible, sweet and fun and she’s my
friend now. She is who you see on the screen. We had so much fun together. It shows. I loved your soft-shoe tap dance scene! Thank you. Wasn’t that great? One thing about working with Guillermo is that everything in the film is made with a purpose…Nothing in the film is there by accident. I mean, accidents do happen on a film set but Guillermo often uses those too. What do you hope viewers will take from this film and/or your performance? I hope people get lost in it like I did. I’m not
I like to make movies that are liberating, that say it’s okay to be
whoever you are, and it seems that at this time, this is very pertinent.”
asking anyone to be enlightened by it, although that would be nice. What are you working on now? Nothing. I’ve done two seasons of Berlin Station
on TV. I just got back from Germany and now I’m taking a well-earned break and I’m looking forward to it.
This writer’s conclusion: Not so fast, Richard. I expect the actor will be required to work the awards season circuit of screenings, parties and other events in support ofThe Shape of Water. Jenkins could well secure a second Oscar nomination for his funny, moving performance as the closeted but ultimately brave, Giles. Del Toro could also receive his first, well- deserved nomination as Best Director. He was previously nominated for Best Original Screenplay for Pan’s Labyrinth but has yet to win an Academy Award.
Admittedly,The Shape of Water is a hard-to-
define movie that may not appeal to all Academy members. It struck me as a sexier, gorier, adults-on- ly update of Spielberg’s E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. E.Tand his human friend, Elliott, though there was no sex involved. I suspect that some viewers may have difficulty accepting del Toro’s uninhibited romance between Elisa and her gill man. What of the film’s unusual title? According to del
Toro: “Water takes the shape of whatever is holding it at the time and although water can be so gentle, it’s also the most powerful and malleable force in the universe. That’s also love, isn’t it? It doesn’t matter what shape we put love into, it becomes that, whether it’s man, woman or creature.” All of this is reason for LGBTQ moviegoers
to rejoice. If queerness is best defined as unclas- sifiable “otherness,” thenThe Shape of Water is unquestionably the queerest movie of 2017. It could also be a cinema classic in the making.
The Shape Of Wateropens onFriday, December 8. Check your local listings for showtimes.
DECEMBER 2017DECEMBER 2017 | RAGE monthlyRAGEmonthly
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