The Shape Of Water LFF Review: 8 Ups & 2 Downs

6. It's Both Charming & Brutal

del Toro has proven himself to be a master of tonal balance in the past, something he reaffirms here with one of his trickiest juggling acts to date.

On one hand, this is a whimsical and thoroughly charming film about the unique bond between two souls, but it's also savagely unpleasant and visceral at times.

The director effortlessly glides between these moods while avoiding tonal whiplash, and even daring to play a few of the film's more grotesque asides for laughs.

There are moments that will make you laugh out loud (much more than you're probably expecting, in fact), others that will make you wince, and some that'll have you doing both at the same time.

So many lesser filmmakers would've been unable to reconcile so many potentially clashing elements, but del Toro, master that he is, makes it look so damn easy.