Del Toro's fairly conventional tale of underdog forbidden romance — between a fish - man creature in government captivity and a mute cleaning lady, Eliza (Sally Hawkins), facing off with a hateful investigator (Michael Shannon)-- was nonetheless warm, sumptuously shot and designed, and barbed with semi-subversive asides from Eliza's outsider buddies,
fellow worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) and a closeted illustrator neighbor (Richard Jenkins).