THE SHAPE OF WATER Special Screenings

The luminous Sally Hawkins stars as Eliza Esposito, a mute cleaning lady living in a nondescript coastal city ensconced in 1950s Cold War paranoia. Her work at a government lab brings her into contact with an unusual government asset, a mysterious Amphibian Man. When Eliza forms a bond with the soulful creature, her need to prove Amphibian Man’s humanity to the cold and clinical outside world becomes clear — no matter the cost. With a terrific supporting cast that includes Michael Shannon, Octavia Spencer, Michael Stuhlbarg and Doug Jones, Guillermo del Toro’s immaculately crafted update on THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954) gives the impression of a sunken city, and pulses with the buoyant power of outsider love. – Lane Kneedler