Opened: December 22, 2017

Directed by: Guillermo del Toro

Starring: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Stuhlbarg & Doug Jones

I doubted critics when I heard them call this the grown-up Beauty and the Beast, and though I wouldn’t go that far, there’s no denying  this is something special.

A lonely, mute janitor (Sally Hawkins) at a research facility in the 1960s makes a connection with a top-secret discovery (Doug Jones). Though the conventions of humanity threaten to keep them apart, the janitor employs the aid of her friends in helping this creature.

Despite its odd subject matter, everything about this film is simple and beautiful. Alexandre Desplat’s score is spellbinding, while the production design pulls you into the world effortlessly. 

Hawkins provides the best performance of her career – and arguably the year – without the use of dialogue. All of the connection is made through touch and sight, which makes the romance better than any love story out there.

Final say: Truly a gorgeous spectacle. ★★★★★