The Shape of Water (2017)

Doug Jones's amphibious captive responds to laboratory cleaner Elisa as a person rather than a function in the laboratory. The attention travels both ways, making the rescue emotionally convincing before the romance becomes fully fantastical. His unfamiliarity and capacity for harm remain part of the film; he is not merely a safe pet in an exotic body. Choose it for a creature performance that makes mutual recognition attractive, with adult sexuality and harsh violence around that tenderness.