“Love is the antidote to everything that fear and hatred corrupt,” says directer Guillermo Del Toro, who recently completed his 10th film dealing with how love conquers all in “The Shape of Water.”

This 1960s film tells the story of a mute woman named , played by Sally Hawkins who the role was originally intended for, who works at Oceana, a secret government agency involved in strange and mysterious sea-related things.

One day while Elisa Esposito and Zelda Fuller, played by “The Help’s” Octavia Spencer, are cleaning a room, the Colonel, played by Michael Shannon, orders a group of men to bring in a mysterious amphibian figure in a large tank.

Eventually, Elisa is cleaning the same room while she hears strange noises in the pool —where the amphibian man is located — and lays down a deviled egg. The figure takes the egg back into the water.

This marks the first moment of a beautiful friendship. As the story progresses, Elisa starts to fall in love with the “monster,” who the Colonel plans on killing and dissecting.

Elisa and her next door neighbor and best friend, Giles, played by Richard Jenkins, try to help the Amphibian Man escape all while Elisa comes to realize her deep feelings for him.

The film shows that the monsters are not the ones who look scary, but the ones we see everyday: a friend, neighbor, co-worker, or loved one.

Notes: Del Toro took home “Best Director” a the 75th Golden Globes and there are talks about some Oscar nods for Del Toro as director, writer, and producer (meaning he would take home the “Best Picture” award). The Academy Awards air on ABC on March 4.