The Shape of Water (2017) Screenplay by Guillermo del Toro …

The Shape of Water (2017) Screenplay by Guillermo del Toro …

F O R Y O U R C O N S I D E R A T I O N

B E S T O R I G I N A L S C R E E N P L A Y GU I L L E RMO D E L T O R O & VA N E S S A TAY L O R

THE SHAPE OF WATER THE SHAPE OF WATER

Written by Guillermo del Toro & Vanessa Taylor Written by Guillermo del Toro & Vanessa Taylor Story by Guillermo del Toro Story by Guillermo del Toro

FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES, INC. 10201 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90035 FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES, INC. 10201 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90035

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. COPYRIGHT ©2016 WILLOW AND OAK, INC. NO PORTION OF THIS SCRIPT MAY BE PERFORMED, PUBLISHED, REPRODUCED, SOLD OR DISTRIBUTED BY ANY MEANS, OR QUOTED OR PUBLISHED IN ANY MEDIUM, INCLUDING ANY WEB SITE, WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF WILLOW AND OAK, INC. DISPOSAL OF THIS SCRIPT COPY DOES NOT ALTER ANY OF THE RESTRICTIONS SET FORTH ABOVE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. COPYRIGHT ©2016 WILLOW AND OAK, INC. NO PORTION OF THIS SCRIPT MAY BE PERFORMED, PUBLISHED, REPRODUCED, SOLD OR DISTRIBUTED BY ANY MEANS, OR QUOTED OR PUBLISHED IN ANY MEDIUM, INCLUDING ANY WEB SITE, WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF WILLOW AND OAK, INC. DISPOSAL OF THIS SCRIPT COPY DOES NOT ALTER ANY OF THE RESTRICTIONS SET FORTH ABOVE.

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FADE IN:

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INT. ELISA’S APARTMENT / RIVER FOOTAGE - NIGHT 1 We float at the bottom of a river. Surrounded by water. Fish swim away. Debris floating in the water- And, then, a lamp floats by- A coffee pot- A shoe. GILES / NARRATOR

If I spoke about it- If I did- what would I tell you, I wonder? Would I tell you about the time...? It happened a long time ago- in the last days of a fair Prince’s reign... Or would I tell you about the place? A small city near the coast but far from everything else... Or would I tell you about her? The princess without voice... (beat) Or perhaps I would just warn you of the about the truth of these facts and the tale of love and loss and the monster that tried to destroy it all...

Camera pushes and we see: An entire apartment underwater. Objects and furniture float, gently suspended, defying gravity. Asleep on/above her bed -- half floating, half weighed down: ELISA. Roughly 30, but ageless, with child-like eyes, dark, lush hair and a thin, beautiful mouth slightly curved into a satisfied smile. She slowly settles/drifts down on the mattress below as an early digital alarm clock lazily floats over a night table nearby... SUDDENLY: The alarm goes off! 10:45 PM -Elisa opens her eyes. Lifts the mask, looks around: No water at all.

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Slowly, she gets up. An ambulance red light briefly illuminates the apartment, its siren fading rapidly. Barefoot, she heads to the bathroom: We see that light is emanating from her FLOORBOARDS. Music and dialogue leaks up through the floorboards too. She readies the bathtub DIALOGUE “... No God could be pleased with the death of a child at the altar...” Camera goes through floor into-

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INT. CINEMA - SAME

-the ornate ceiling- and into- The cinema: The STORY OF RUTH plays to an- -almost empty theater- One patron or two are asleep. TITLE: THE SHAPE OF WATER.

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INT. ELISA’S APARTMENT - SAME

Elisa drops three eggs into a pot of boiling water and heads for the bathroom. On the way there- she picks up an egg timer and casually winds it. 2 She disrobes- Revealing: On both sides of her neck: two keloid scars, diagonal and about three inches long. DIALOGUE “...Who’s the man?” (beat) Mahlon, the Judean artisan...” The voices from below continue as she steps into the bathtub: Water overflows and hits the tiled floor. She sinks in. A deep sigh. She sets the egg timer to TWO MINUTES. INT. ELISA’S BATHROOM

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She sighs. Then rubs her hand with soap, plants her two feet on the base of the tub, sighs again and goes to work on herself, gently, slowly- -but with the timer ticking away- She’s almost there when the timer DINGS. 3 A WALL CLOCK- its minute hand slides into position- TACK!: 10:55 PM. INT. KITCHEN, ELISA’S APARTMENT - SAME Elisa rips off a leaf from a wall calendar and opens a window, letting the fresh air in. Her hair is wet and she nervously looks at the clock on the wall. The Calendar leaf back reads: “Time is but a river flowing Elisa stares at a WALL OF SHOES. Chooses a GREEN PAIR. Shines them, quietly- alone- at the table. Puts them on. Another siren goes by. CLACK! 11:01 PM She takes out 3 hardboiled eggs- still steaming- out of a pot. Uses the calendar sheet to pack one, plus saltines and a small mustard and a half pickle sandwich on a paper bag. Two eggs and a half sandwich go onto a small plate. She undoes the three locks on her door (light & music intensifies still emanating from the floorboards) and- 4 -exits her apartment. We see the “shadowing” of old brass letters -some are still there- they read “DELIVERIES” She goes to the door directly across from hers (similar sign: “PROCESSING”). A TV can be heard inside. She uses a key to let herself in. from our past.” CLACK! 11:00 PM INT. APARTMENT CORRIDOR - NIGHT

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