I don’t see enough new foreign language films. Every year, I tell myself that this will be the year I seek them out in theatre, and it never is. When one comes out by an already famous director, say Bong Joon-ho or Pedro Almodóvar, there’s a good chance I’ll see it at the cinema opening weekend or near it. I know some of this is marketing. Smaller distributors often release foreign-language films in the US and have the tiniest fraction of promotional budgets than films expected to be blockbusters. But I know there are companies and theatres around Los Angeles that cater to these films and their audiences, and I’m still terrible at them. So when I got a direct email invite to see TOUCH from Focus Features, I quickly watched the trailer and RSVP’d immediately after. I’m glad I did. TOUCH is one of those sweet, hopeful films that we don’t see enough of but desperately need more of.
On its most basic level, TOUCH is a love story between an Icelandic man and a Japanese woman who meet and fall in love in late 1960s London. The dialogue in the film is primarily in Icelandic and Japanese, with some English. There are, of course, subtitles for all non-English sections. It’s a touching story that takes our main character, Kristofer, across the globe on a journey filled with intimate moments and conversations between characters. Whether we’re listening to Kristofer talking to his daughter on the phone or just chatting with a hotel clerk, each conversation has a specific reason for being in the film – to allow us to learn about Kristofer’s life and to move the plot forward to his next encounter.
TOUCH is also a story about old ways and new ways. The story jumps back and forth between 1969 and 2020. The former shows how people communicated back then; everyone was present in front of each other because they weren’t a text or quick phone call away. You could show up somewhere to meet someone, but they might be gone, or perhaps they’d write a letter. Juxtaposed to our modern times when a missed text or an impromptu real-life conversation with a stranger can bring out unexpected emotion. The 2020 time period is right at the dawn of the worldwide COVID-19-related shutdown, adding a layer of urgency to Kristofer’s story. 2023’s celebrated tale of love, life, and longing was PAST LIVES. TOUCH is a very different film, yet like last year’s hit, takes us viewers on an emotional ride of wondering what could have been.
TOUCH is currently playing exclusively in theatres.
