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How Everything Works @howeverythingworks

@cineexplainmovie

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Why it worked

The humor and unexpected twist of the scene, where a seemingly offensive gesture is misinterpreted as a polite one, likely resonated with viewers and encouraged sharing.

Summary

This video clip from "The Shape of Water" shows a scene where Sally Hawkins' character, Elisa, signs "F*** you" to Michael Shannon's character, Richard. Richard, not understanding sign language, asks what she said, and another character explains she said "thank you."

Structure

1Elisa signs "F*** you" to Richard.
2Richard asks what she said.
3Elisa repeats the gesture.
4Richard asks again what she is saying.
5Another character explains she said "thank you."

On-screen text

How Everything Works @howeverythingworks She really said it straight to his face and the movie went on to win an Oscar F*-*CK Y-O-U What'd you say to me? What is she saying? I, I, I didn't catch it What is she saying? She, she is saying thank you

Transcript

F*-*CK Y-O-U What'd you say to me? What is she saying? I, I, I didn't catch it What is she saying? She, she is saying thank you

Original caption

The Shape of Water is one of those films that feels completely strange on paper, but somehow becomes beautiful once you watch it. 🐟 Sally Hawkins gave such a delicate performance as Elisa, and what makes it even more impressive is that she learned American Sign Language from scratch before filming. She reportedly trained for months until her signing felt natural, not just memorised for the scenes. That commitment helped make the character feel real, emotional, and deeply human without needing spoken dialogue. No wonder the film went on to win Best Picture at the Oscars.