What Actually Happened With Best Picture That Year
The 2018 film year had several strong contenders heading into awards season, and the eventual winner wasn't exactly obvious from the start. Cuaron's Roma, Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049, and Pantelion's The Shape of Water were all carrying serious weight. I remember following the industry buzz pretty closely through that cycle, and the one thing that consistently caught people off guard was how little mainstream awareness there was for Roma going into the final nominations. It was a black-and-white Spanish-language film shot on digital with almost no marketing budget behind it, yet it ended up with ten Oscar nominations and won three. When people ask me what the best film of 2018 was, the answer depends entirely on what criteria they're using. If we're talking about box office performance, Aquaman made nearly a billion dollars. If we're talking critical consensus, Roma sits at 96 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. If we're talking about the film that actually swept the awards circuit, it was The Shape of Water, which took home four Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director for Guillermo del Toro. I've watched both films multiple times over the years, and here's the thing most people miss when comparing them. Roma operates on a completely different emotional frequency than anything else in that year's lineup. It's a thirty-seven-minute opening sequence that establishes everything you need to know about the protagonist without a single line of dialogue directed at her. The camera stays at her eye level the entire time, which sounds like a minor detail but fundamentally changes how you experience the story. You're not observing her life from above or from a distance. You're standing in the room with her.
The Shape of Water is more straightforward in its storytelling approach. It's a fairy tale wrapped in a Cold War spy thriller with a touch of fantasy. Del Toro's strength has always been practical effects and creature design, and this film represents the peak of that sensibility. The amphibious creature was built as a full suit performed by Doug Jones, not created through CGI. That decision matters more than casual viewers tend to recognize because it gives the final scenes a physical presence that digital effects simply can't replicate.
Where To Find These Films
Both films are available through major streaming platforms depending on your region. Roma is on Netflix globally since Cuaron produced it through that platform. The Shape of Water is typically available through Fox or Hulu licensing agreements, though these change frequently. I'd recommend checking JustWatch or similar tracking services before assuming where a film currently streams in your country. There are also legitimate physical media options. The Shape of Water has a solid 4K UHD release with strong color grading that preserves the green and teal palette del Toro deliberately constructed. Roma looks markedly different on various home releases because the film was mastered differently for different formats. The Netflix streaming version compresses some of the shadow detail in the black-and-white image, so if you're watching this at home and something feels flat compared to what you saw in theaters, that's the compression at work rather than any problem with the film itself.
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Why These Films Divide People
I've noticed a consistent pattern whenever this conversation comes up in forums or casual discussion. People who connect with Roma usually appreciate the patience required and the observational style. People who walk out or skip Roma typically describe it as slow or boring, which isn't technically wrong but reveals something about viewing expectations. The film asks you to sit with quiet moments for extended periods. It doesn't build toward traditional climaxes in most sequences. The drama comes from accumulation of small details rather than from plot events. The Shape of Water faces a different kind of rejection. Some viewers find the romance between a mute woman and an amphibious creature difficult to engage with on an emotional level, regardless of how beautifully it's executed. I've encountered this reaction more often than I expected. The film is unapologetically earnest about its central relationship, and that honesty doesn't land for everyone. There's no ironic distance or self-awareness to fall back on. You either accept the premise fully or you don't, and there's really no middle ground.
A Practical Note About Viewing
If you're watching these at home rather than in a theater, pay attention to the sound mix. Both films have dynamic ranges that get flattened on typical television speakers. Roma in particular has a lot of near-silence punctuated by sudden loud moments, and most home audio setups will either bury the quiet parts or clip the loud ones. A decent pair of headphones or a basic surround setup makes a noticeable difference. The Shape of Water's score by Alexandre Desplat is also significantly better experienced with proper audio separation rather than compressed TV sound. I keep a list of films I recommend for 2018 at the top, and both of these stay on it consistently. They represent opposite approaches to what cinema can do in a single sitting. One trusts silence and observation. The other trusts spectacle and emotional directness. Neither one compromises for accessibility, and that's precisely why they both endure beyond their awards cycles.
