Del Toro on the crest of a wave

as too often we’re distracted from the main central relationship at the film’s heart.

And what an odd-but-touching bond it is with Hawkins and Jones’ dialogue-free courtship unlike anything we’ve seen before – and swaying on the edge of being a bit too bizarre.

Thankfully, Hawkins’ outstanding Oscarnommed turn is always there to grab you; shorn of her vocal chords, she is expressive through motion, touch and her soulful eyes as she goes about her business in purposeful, whimsical fashion reminiscent of Audrey Tautou in 2001’s ace Amélie.

Jones – del Toro’s go-to performer for makeup and mo-cap-led roles – impresses too, even though Amphibian Man is basically his Abe Sapien from Hellboy without a voice.

The virtuoso supporting cast includes Michael Shannon’s cold, straight-talking colonel, a fantastically fun Richard Jenkins and Octavia Spencer’s chatty and loyal Zelda.

We may be in fantasy romance territory, but del Toro’s trademark darkness and splashes of gore are sprinkled throughout; from severed fingers and Shannon’s creepiness to sneaky sex acts and the grisly fate of a cat.

Returning to the aforementioned Amélie, Alexandre Desplat’s score – utilising whistles, flutes and an accordion – is highly evocative of the French film’s music.

And it’s these familiarities to other work – and its inferiority to del Toro’s own seminal Pan’s Labyrinth – that leave the otherwise sublime Shape of Water slightly gasping for breath.