The Shape of Water – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

The Shape of Water

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

movie2017

38%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

Del Toro's Oscar-winning adult fairy tale about a woman who falls for a fish-man is visually stunning but packed with sex, violence, and nightmare fuel.

7.3/10

92%

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The Shape of Water

movie

R, 2017

38%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

Del Toro's Oscar-winning adult fairy tale about a woman who falls for a fish-man is visually stunning but packed with sex, violence, and nightmare fuel.

7.3

92%

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7.3/10

92%

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Screenwise Verdict

Look, this won Best Picture and it's genuinely beautiful filmmaking. Del Toro created something visually stunning and emotionally complex. The creature effects are incredible, the performances are strong, and the themes about accepting the other are meaningful.

But let's be crystal clear: this is an adult film with explicit content that would traumatize kids. We're talking graphic sex scenes with a fish creature, torture sequences, animal death, and full-frontal nudity. The 'fairy tale' framing fools some people into thinking it might be family-friendly—it is absolutely not.

For adults who appreciate dark fantasy and can handle mature content, it's a remarkable piece of cinema. For anyone looking for family viewing or even teen-appropriate content, run far away. This is date night after the kids are asleep territory, and even then, know what you're getting into.

Age Fit

This is strictly adult content, 18+. Despite the fairy tale framing and fantasy elements, the explicit sexual content, graphic violence, and disturbing imagery make it inappropriate for anyone under 18. Common Sense Media's 16+ rating is generous.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

A love story centered on acceptance and finding connection, but the relationship itself involves explicit sexual content between a woman and an amphibious creature. The emotional core is about kindness to the marginalized, but the execution includes violence, torture scenes, and mature sexual situations that aren't emotionally healthy viewing for younger audiences.

Imaginative

Guillermo del Toro's Cold War-era fairy tale brings a genuinely original premise to life with stunning production design and creature effects. The film reimagines Beauty and the Beast through a dark fantasy lens set in 1960s Baltimore, creating a visually rich world that's both whimsical and grounded. The creature design alone is remarkable, and the film invites viewers into a strange, beautiful alternate reality.

Safe

This is definitively NOT safe for kids. Contains explicit sex scenes (including between the protagonist and the creature), full-frontal nudity, graphic violence including finger removal and torture, animal cruelty (a cat is killed), strong language, and disturbing imagery throughout. Common Sense Media rates it 16+ for good reason. The R-rating content is central to the story, not incidental.

Enriching

For mature viewers, the film offers meaningful commentary on otherness, Cold War paranoia, and the humanity we deny in those who are different. The mute protagonist and her community of outsiders (a gay man, a Black woman in the segregated South) create a thoughtful exploration of marginalization. However, the enrichment value is entirely dependent on viewer maturity to process the adult themes.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Genuinely original premise executed with stunning visual artistry and practical effects
Explores themes of acceptance and finding connection as an outsider in 1960s America
Sally Hawkins delivers a powerful performance entirely without dialogue
Won Best Picture and Best Director at the Oscars for a reason—it's crafted beautifully
The production design and creature work are museum-quality

⚠

What to Watch For

Explicit sexual content including graphic scenes between the woman and creature—this is not metaphorical
Graphic violence including torture, finger amputation, and a cat being killed on-screen
Full-frontal nudity (both male and female) and masturbation scenes
Disturbing imagery throughout that will stick with you
This is absolutely, positively not for kids despite being a 'fairy tale'—it's R-rated for very good reasons

Conversation Starters

"What did you think about how the film portrayed people who were seen as 'different' in the 1960s?"
"The movie blends Cold War paranoia with fairy tale elements—did that combination work for you?"
"How did the film use the creature as a mirror for how society treats outsiders?"
"What do you make of the ending—was it real or imagined?"

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