Is The Shape of Water woke?
Movie · 2017 · Original title: La forma del agua
The Shape of Water has a wokeness score of 8/10, which we rate as Strongly Ideological. Woke messaging is very prominent and often feels forced or shoehorned in. Characters and plot are primarily shaped to serve the ideology. Many viewers feel the agenda overshadows the entertainment.
Key points
- Coalition of disabled, Black, gay characters defeats white Christian military villain symbolizing American prejudice.
- Creature represents marginalized 'other'; interspecies romance preaches acceptance of deviance and diversity.
- Heavy-handed 1960s racism, homophobia critique feels shoehorned, prioritizing ideology over plot cohesion.
Wokeness analysis
The Shape of Water exemplifies heavily ideological filmmaking where progressive messaging permeates the narrative, often at the expense of organic storytelling. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, the film sets its fantastical romance in 1960s Cold War America, using the era's historical backdrop to hammer home critiques of traditional American values. The mute white protagonist Elisa allies with a Black coworker Zelda, a gay neighbor Giles, and a Soviet spy to liberate an amphibious creature from a U.S. government facility, symbolizing the oppressed 'other.' This coalition of marginalized identities triumphs over the villainous Colonel Strickland, a hyper-masculine, racist, Christian white military man who embodies midcentury American prejudice, nationalism, and toxic masculinity. Conservative critics, such as those from National Review and Maclean's, decry it as 'woke cinema' that preaches social justice, portraying Americans as the real monsters while glorifying interspecies romance and diversity. Del Toro explicitly stated the film addresses contemporary divisions of race, religion, sexual preference, and gender, positioning it as a timely allegory against Trump-era politics. Diversity representation feels performative: Zelda and Giles endure racism and homophobia but serve as sidekicks to Elisa's arc, their struggles unresolved while her fantastical love story resolves happily. The creature's phallic reveal normalizes deviant sexuality, subverting monster tropes to celebrate otherness over normalcy. Roger Ebert's review notes the heavy-handed symbolism, breaking the fairy-tale immersion with jackhammer-like points on civil rights and repression. This message-driven structure overshadows entertainment, alienating viewers seeking escapism and fueling backlash against Hollywood's self-satisfied progressivism.
Plot
Set in 1962 Baltimore amid Cold War tensions, The Shape of Water follows Elisa Esposito, a mute janitor at a secret government lab, who discovers a captured amphibious creature. Developing a deep bond, she falls in love with the gentle being, dubbed 'the Asset.' Aided by her Black coworker Zelda, gay neighbor Giles, and a Soviet spy posing as a scientist, Elisa orchestrates a daring escape to free the creature from torture by ruthless military colonel Richard Strickland, who seeks to exploit it for American superiority. Their plan succeeds after perilous chases and betrayals, culminating in Elisa revealing hidden gill scars and joining the creature in the ocean for eternal aquatic bliss. Blending fairy-tale romance, monster movie homage, and fantasy, the film explores themes of love transcending boundaries, empathy for outcasts, and institutional cruelty.
Analyzed by AI on March 15, 2026