Movie Review: Touch

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

A top-notch romance film. 

It is no secret that often today, romance movies can be the most formulaic and predictable films out there. That is why I always greatly appreciate when a new romantic movie comes out that doesn't just simply follow the basic formula. Touch is luckily one of those films. The storyline centers around a man from Icelandic man who reaching old age decides to go to Japan and try and find a woman he is still very much in love with. These scenes are interspliced with the story of the two meeting when they were young. At first, you may not connect that these are the same characters but honestly it won't take long to do so. And that is something that is even true for those who may often have a hard time following movies. The scenes are put together in a very effective way that makes the story more emotional than if it was told in a more traditional way. While the filmmakers may not do anything to call attention to the fact there is a flashback coming (with one exception towards the end) each of the modern scenes is emotionally connected with many of the past scenes. This makes the film flow from past to present seamlessly and in a way that doesn't just feel like a filmmaker trying to be experimental or artsy. This storytelling technique also helps us unravel, everything that is going on in the modern scenes little by little. This helps keep us perfectly engaged both emotionally and intellectually, while being perfectly accessible to a mainstream audience.

This movie also benefits from a simply beautiful story. The romance is perfectly realized, and we feel as if we are truly seeing two people fall in love. There is nothing fake or Hollywood like about this romance, it simply feels like we are watching this play out between real people in real life. This is both due to an incredible script and the great chemistry between Palmi Kormaku and Kōki as two young lovers in the flashbacks. Yet the film also simply makes us care about these characters both as a couple and as individuals. Not only does their romance feel real to us but they feel completely real to us. The story also has enough twists and turns to keep us engaged, while not taken away from the realism this movie sets out to (and successfully does) create. Meanwhile this movie also has some incredible smart social commentary that fits perfectly into the story while never distracting from it. 

This is a return to form for Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur after the truly awful Beast (2022). It is a true must see.