Director
Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water
The awards season momentum seems to be behind del Toro, along with a general sense that he’s a very sweet guy and has paid his dues. The Shape of Water is also a fairly perfect distillation of del Toro’s aesthetic, which is nothing if not rapturous and attention-grabbing.
(Seconded, with the snark level reduced: “If the likely Best Picture winner were the kind of movie that, like, say, “Darkest Hour,” presents its virtues more plainly, the director of a showier film would win; but since del Toro’s film is by far the gaudiest of the nominees, he’ll win for Best Director, too.” ~ Richard Brody.)
