Amidst boy-loves-girl, girl-loves-boy sagas, you have a girl-loves-amphibian-creature and that's cue enough to try The Shape of Water, in case, the 13 Oscar nominations aren't enough to convince you.

Set in the 60s of Baltimore, US, not just evident by the art work, but also because of the numerous references to the American-Russian Cold war, the movie follows a mute lonely janitor, Elisa Esposito (a brilliant Sally Hawkins), who forms a unique relationship with an amphibian creature or “asset” as it or he is referred to throughout the movie.

The first shot of the movie, courtesy some soothing and moving cinematography by Dan Laustsen, has an odd semblance to the scene in The Titanic that shows the ruins.

The narration quickly takes us back to the meek Elisa who follows a monotonous routine to the T. She does almost everything to perfection, including her daily routine of boiling eggs, masturbating in her bath, meticulously polishing her shoes, waiting for the bus that would take her to her graveyard shift, etc, except making it to her clinical laboratory on time. She's saved by her colleague Zelda (Octavia Spencer in a strong supporting role) who holds her place and acts as an interpreter at work. In return, Elisa returns the favour by listening to her many rants about the latter's “useless” husband. To be fair to Elisa, she can only listen.