The Shape of Water (2017)
Figures
Objects & symbols
- Water as a recurring motif and the Amphibian Man's origins
Tropes
- The relationship between Elisa and the Amphibian Man
- Elisa's muteness and scars
- The Amphibian Man's body under scientific scrutiny → The State of Exception
- Elisa's sexual agency and desire for the Amphibian Man → The Male Gaze
- The film's blending of genres (noir, musical, monster movie) → The Pastiche Playbook
- Richard Strickland's obsession with his new Cadillac and consumer goods → The Commodity Fetish
Films most connected to The Shape of Water
- Brazil (1985) — via The Pastiche Playbook, The Counter-Space, The Empty Vessel, The State of Exception
- The Zone of Interest (2023) — via The Commodity Fetish, The Unseen Voice, The Counter-Space
- The Dark Knight (2008) — via The Empty Vessel, The State of Exception
- Reservoir Dogs (1992) — via The Pastiche Playbook, The Empty Vessel
- Joker (2019) — via The Pastiche Playbook, The Empty Vessel
- Drive (2011) — via The Pastiche Playbook, The Empty Vessel
- Get Out (2017) — via The Commodity Fetish, The Empty Vessel
- Timbuktu (2014) — via The Counter-Space, The State of Exception