Romance with a difference
Guillermo del Toro knows how to create a fantasy with intelligence and maturity. Oscar best picture "The Shape of Water" (⋆⋆⋆⋆; rated R) is the finest work of his career. This enchanting re-imagining of "Beauty and the Beast," set during the Cold War, pairs a mute woman (Sally Hawkins) and an amphibious man held captive at the secretive research facility where she works. They fall in love as the film pivots into spy-thriller territory, building to a buoyant finale that sends you away with your feet off the ground.
COLIN COVERT
