‘The Shape of Water’ wins Oscar for Best Picture

Guillermo del Toro’s inter-species fantasy drama “The Shape of Water” today won the Best Picture Oscar.

The film also helped del Toro win his maiden Oscar in the directing category.

The lyrical drama about a mute cleaning lady’s unique bond with a humanoid amphibian, who is a classified government secret, led the 90th Academy Awards, with 13 nominations.

With Sally Hawkins and Doug Jones in the lead, the movie had received massive critical acclaim for its unique handling by the director, who has credited his “childhood monsters” for setting him free.

The film is being called del Toro’s best work after his triple-Oscar winning 2007 film “Pan’s Labyrinth”.

Set during the Cold War period in 1962’s Baltimore, “The Shape of Water” was also recognized in the Best Picture category at the Critics Choice Awards. The film began a limited release in two theaters in New York City on December 1, 2017, before expanding starting December 8, 2017, and has grossed USD 113 million worldwide.

In February, the estate of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paul Zindel initiated a high-profile lawsuit against del Toro and associate producer Daniel Kraus alleging the story “brazenly copies the story, elements, characters, and themes” of his 1969 work “Let Me Hear You Whisper”.

The director, however, rejected the claims. The film also features Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Octavia Spencer.

Other nominees in the segment were “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”, “Lady Bird”, “Get Out”, “Dunkirk”, “Call Me By Your Name”, “Darkest Hour”, “The Post” and “Phantom Thread”.