The Shape of Water is Cold War-set fantasy romance, I guess, although I have issues with the romance that I'll get into in a bit.
Elisa is a mute cleaning lady who works at a high-security government facility. When a mysterious aquatic being is brought to the facility, she forms a bond with him and comes up with a plan to free him and get him back to the ocean where he belongs. (Although apparently he was originally captured in a South American river where he was worshiped by the locals as a god, so wouldn't he have been more comfortable in fresh water?)
Unfortunately, two governments have a stake in the River God's fate. The U.S. government wants him dissected in the hope that his ability to breathe both water and air could somehow lead to important advancements in space-related technology. (I'm sorry, I know this doesn't really make any sense, but this is the reason viewers were given.) The Russian government doesn't see a point in capturing him for themselves but does want him killed before the U.S. can learn anything useful from him.
