Was Elisa born a fish creature in The Shape of Water? The ending of Guillermo del Toro’s breathtaking fairy tale was quite ambiguous. This led fans to speculate the creature might not be the only character with mysterious origins. Released in 2017, the Oscar-winning The Shape of Water starred Sally Hawkins as Elisa, a mute woman who works on the cleaning staff of a government laboratory during the Cold War.
Elisa is a lonely person with a strict daily routine and only two real friends: her co-worker, Zelda and her neighbor, an artist named Giles. When an amphibian/human hybrid (Doug Jones) is brought to the lab, Elisa is intrigued, but also feels immense compassion for him, especially after seeing him tortured by Colonel Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon). Elisa develops a rapport with the creature, seeing him as a kindred spirit, and they fall in love. The end of the film, in which Strickland shoots them both, left fans with several theories about what actually happened in those final moments.
Elisa appears to be human throughout the film but was she born a fish creature too? The Shape of Water ends with the creature taking Elisa into the water and not only healing hers but also giving her gills. Some have claimed that although the amphibious man demonstrated regenerative abilities earlier in the story, it doesn’t make much sense he could actually create gills. It’s certainly possible. After all, it's is a fairy tale so there aren't exactly strict rules. However, certain details of Elisa’s past had viewers wondering if she already had gills to begin with.
Elisa was orphaned as a child, found by a river with three slashes across her throat, which had severed her vocal cords and left her unable to speak. What if those weren’t cuts the doctors sewed up, but gills they mistook for wounds? The Shape of Water had previously shown the creature was capable not only of healing Giles but also making his hair grow again. Perhaps he never created gills for Elisa, but merely restored what had already once been there. Elisa had shown an affinity for water from the very beginning of the movie and was more comfortable being submerged for extended periods than the average person.
The Shape of Water’s ending was left purposefully ambiguous, so there are several possible outcomes. Giles’ narration bookends the film, so it’s entirely possible Elisa died and the happy ending granted her is simply the way her friend chose to conclude the story in his mind. That’s definitely the most poignant ending. The director is unlikely to give a definitive answer either way, but part of the beauty of del Toro’s film is that it’s so open to interpretation.
Source:gamerant.com