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“The Shape of Water” has become the film to beat at the Oscars.

After a year of political strife, natural disasters, immigration woes and revelations of sexual harassment, it makes sense — to a degree — that an uplifting fantasy would march to the front of the Oscars race. People are yearning for escape and signs of connection and compassion, and Guillermo del Toro’s tale — a lush hybrid of “Beauty and the Beast” and “Creature From the Black Lagoon” — serves up the feels in spades.

It is extremely rare, though, for a fantasy or sci-fi film to win the Oscars race, and “Shape” could still be bested by “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” or “Get Out.” The Oscars are usually held on the last Sunday in February, but this year have been bumped a week, to March 4, to avoid conflicting with the closing night of the Winter Olympics.

This means that strategists are running extra long campaigns, and the people behind “Shape” will be working to keep the film in the fore without making it seem like the preordained winner.