“If I told you about her, the princess without voice, what would I say?” So begins the first trailer for “The Shape of Water.” The so-called “princess” in question is Elisa (Sally Hawkins), a lonely and isolated woman who works at in a hidden, high-security government laboratory.
Despite her exciting-sounding job, the spot suggests that Elisa’s life is really quite mundane. She wakes up, polishes her shoes, clocks into work, cleans the lab, and wakes up the next day to do the exact same things. But all of that changes when she and co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) discover a huge secret — what we’re told “may very well be the most sensitive asset ever to be housed” in the facility.
Set against the backdrop of Cold War era U.S. circa 1963, “The Shape of Water” centers on the unlikely connection forged by the “asset” — a mysterious creature being held captive in the lab for classified experiments— and Elisa.
The trailer reveals that Elisa is “mute and can hear everything,” and it’s clear that her relationship with the creature transcends language. “When he looks at me, he doesn’t know how I am incomplete,” she explains via sign language. “He sees me as I am.” But the creature is in great danger. A lab employee (Michael Shannon) insists that he needs to “take it apart to learn how it works.”
Vanessa Taylor (“Game of Thrones,” “Hope Springs”) co-wrote “The Shape of Water” with its director, Guillermo del Toro (“Crimson Peak,” “Pan’s Labyrinth”). The fairy tale hits theaters December 8.
