‘The Shape of Water’ makes a case for the seenzone and the friendzone

It's a simple story of a mute woman falling in love with a sea creature, but the awards that Guillermo Del Toro's "The Shape of Water" have won so far are well-deserved. It looks incredible, the cast is superb (Sally Hawkins as Eliza and Michael Shannon as Strickland give outstanding performances), and the wink to films from a different era will not be lost to cinephiles.

RELATED: Unforgettable meetings with the cast of Guillermo del Torro's "Shape of Water"

The film is poised to win even more awards, but one hopes that the hype doesn't chip away at its beauty. There's a real danger of things once beloved being dismissed as mediocre, and already there's friction between Del Toro and French auteur Jean-Pierre Jeunet among others.

It would be gravely disappointing if the news surrounding the film overshadows the beautiful images in it. That sequence near the end, where the creature (played by the inimitable Doug Jones) is carrying Eliza in his arms is a wonderful subversion of our expectations.

"The Shape of Water" is many things and critics have already sung the praises. Here we look at it as a story about love.

There will be descriptions of scenes in the movie, which may come across as spoilers for some viewers.

The seenzone is a good place

When Eliza asks Giles (Richard Jenkins) for help, she asks him to say out loud what she's signing. In this scene, it dawns to the perceptive viewer the reason behind Eliza's affection for the creature.

She's not physically deformed, but her disability isolates her. Despite the support she receives from Giles and her co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer), Eliza doesn't quite feel like she belongs.

Human language is limited and Giles points out Eliza's inconsistency in referring to the creature as "a thing" and "him" as she speaks / signs — but in her mind, it's clear that whatever this creature is, it or he looks at her and sees her. It or he sees everything everyone else has overlooked — her kindness, her killer dance moves, her determination.

Isn't that just the best feeling in the world? When someone looks at you and sees you? Suddenly you're not invisible.

The friendzone is an important place

Richard Jenkin's plays the infatuated artist Giles with such tenderness and understated glam that at the end of the film, you might find yourself worrying about what happens to him as the credits roll.

Giles is graying and gay, which in the year when the film is set (1962) only add misery to the days that are already bleak and dreary. He is talented and sweet, but all he has are his cats, his neighbor, and the hope that one day, all the pies he eats from the nearby diner pays off. He'll be loved by his crushie, the man who serves the pies.

He is a long way away from the days when homosexual relationships are possible and there is a scene where he knocks on Eliza's door and confesses that her friendship with him, in a sense, is all that he has.

Finding a romantic partner is hard, but finding a good friend is equally difficult...maybe even more difficult.

Love is love is love is love

Initially hesitant about Eliza's feelings for a strange creature, Giles comes to understand that her relationship with it only seems illogical or repulsive on the surface. After all, there are people who think of him a monster too for being sexually attracted to men.

There are people who to this day might find Eliza and the creature's love story sweet, but still find gay relationships not only unfathomable, but contemptible.

What does that say about our society?

"The Shape of Water" has everything one expects of a Del Toro film and more.

Strickland's face as he rips out a page from Eliza's calendar when he searches his house is framed and lit so perfectly. Eliza's old Hollywood dance sequence with the creature is a fantastic visualization of the feeling of falling and being in love. The film is crafted with love and speaks volumes about the beauty of love.

It's a timely and timeless film, because the world could always use a little more love. — LA, GMA News

"The Shape of Water" opens in Philippine theaters on February 21.