Touch movie is a romantic drama set in the time of the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic period. It touches with its simple tale of love, loss, redemption, blissfulness and more.
No doubt, it is a slow-burning love tale, but still, it warmed our hearts with its emotional depths. Notably, this film is based on the Icelandic best-selling novel by Ólafur Ólafsson bearing the same title. So, ‘Touch’ is a captivating and all-encompassing narrative about a man’s journey to uncover the whereabouts of a lover who mysteriously disappeared years ago.
“Touch” Is A Timeless, Trans-Continental & Heart-Warming Tale Of Love, Loss, Redemption, Blissfulness & More
Trailer: Touch (2024/Iceland) Movie
Spoiler Free Review: Touch (2024/Iceland) Movie
The synopsis/summary
It follows the poignant journey of a widower Kristófer (Egill Ólafsson) determined to locate his first love. His love mysteriously disappeared 50+ years prior, as he races against time. It presents a romantic and exhilarating tale that traverses numerous decades and continents.
Spoilers Alert #1 ~ The Storyline of the Touch by Olaf Olafsson | Goodreads
When the pandemic hits, Kristófer (Egill Ólafsson/Palmi Kormákur) is forced to shutter his successful restaurant in Reykjavik (Iceland). That sent him into a spiral of uncertainty, even as his memory seemed to be failing. But an uncanny bolt from the blue–a message from Miko Nakamura (Yôko Narahashi/Kôki), a woman whom he’d known in the sixties (1960s) when they were students in London–both inspires and rattles him, as he is drawn inexorably back into a love story that has marked him for life.
Even as the pandemic (COVID) upends his world, Kristofer finds himself pulled toward an answer to the mystery of Miko’s sudden departure decades before, compelling him to travel to London (UK) and Japan as the coronavirus threatens to shut everything down.
{Source: Goodreads}
The brutal wars and its aftermath have been intelligently interwoven in it
This love story also hints at these two references to modern history tragedies. Despite so much love and goodness in the world, the brutal wars continue to play havoc. How does war affect the lives of common people like Kristófer and Miko?
Spoilers Alert #2 ~ About “Hiroshima” – a Japanese city
“Hiroshima”, a thriving metropolis on Honshu Island in Japan, faced massive devastation as a result of the atomic bomb explosion in World War Two. The tragic deployment of atomic weapons during World War Two occurred when American bombing raids targeted the Japanese cities of Hiroshima (August 6, 1945) and Nagasaki (August 9, 1945).
The devastating explosions resulted in the immediate deaths of tens of thousands, with numerous others falling victim to radiation poisoning in the aftermath.
Spoilers Alert #3 ~ About “Hibakusha” – a Japanese term
“Hibakusha” refers to the survivors of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Although they survived the initial devastation, they have since faced challenges such as radiation sickness, bereavement, and social discrimination. And that is the harsh reality of their lives.
While watching this movie in 2024, it seems that the world has failed to learn any lessons from history. As we type this, it seems that the Middle East is burning, nowadays. And the world is inching closer to another war. It is the bleak realities of the world that we all live in.
Baltasar Kormákur masterfully recounts a beautiful love story on the big screen
Scriptwriter and Director Baltasar Kormákur has done a commendable job with the Touch movie. He has taken on a popular Icelandic novel and turned it into a beautiful and heartfelt love story. We believe that the director has made a thoughtful, reflective and moving tale of love combined with an intriguing suspense-filled ending in this cross-cultural contemporary film. Furthermore, taking the realistic route, the director has smartly made its lead pair and other characters speak their dialogues in English, Icelandic and Japanese. It lends credence to this modern shrinking world that many of the global citizens presently live in.
It deals with the “first true love tale” theme. Perhaps, because of its subject matter, this “Touch” movie also reminded us of the “Past Lives” movie. Therefore, most likely, many people will be able to identify with the poignant romantic drama. Especially all those who have come across love and loss in their lives. Thereby it delves into the hidden narratives of our pasts, revealing the profound impact of former loves and friendships that linger within us. When the pandemic hit our world, it compelled many people to stop, reflect on their personal lives, make some changes and take the necessary steps.
Egill Ólafsson plays the protagonist with a lot of silent conviction & compassion
Before we proceed, allow us to share the fact this movie uses a lot of flashback scenes. Maybe they are a mark of reflections and memories. So, the original timeline of the story focuses on the early stages of the recent COVID-19 pandemic period when the lockdowns and masks were making their presence felt around the world. But then the flashback takes us back to the city of London, which existed about five+ decades ago. In simple words, set in London in the 1960s, it is a cross-cultural love story between an Icelandic college student Kristófer and a Japanese College student Kôki.
The lead role of Icelander Kristófer has been played splendidly by Egill Ólafsson (Old Kristófer) and Palmi Kormákur (Young Kristófer). His (first) love interest Japanese Miko has been portrayed elegantly by Yôko Narahashi (Old Miko) and Mitsuki Kimura aka Kôki (Young Miko). The rest of the ensemble cast did not have much to do. Still, almost all of them impressed us even in their short screen presence, especially, Masahiro Motoki (Takahashi-san), Masatoshi Nakamura (Kutaragi-san), and Meg Kubota (Hitomi).
The conclusion
The search for the long-lost love took us on a heartwarming journey across different (cities) nations, diverse cultures and distinct (time) periods. Despite so many (cultural, social, economic, national and other) diversities among the citizens of the world, at the basic level humanity and core human values remain the same. No wonder, this poignant and profound romantic tale touched our hearts. The ending of the movie was predictable (for us) and we simply adored it. It made us emotional and think about our lives. Kudos to Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur for the well-made ‘Touch’ movie, one of the top films of the 2024 year, perhaps.
Rating:
| FM Rating | 4.00/5 |
Poster:
Key Details:
| Genre | Drama, Romance |
| Original Languages | English, Japanese, and Icelandic. |
| Duration | 2 hours 1 minute |
| Writers | Baltasar Kormákur & Ólaf Ólafsson |
| Director | Baltasar Kormákur |
| Taglines | Discover what might have been. |
| Cast | Egill Ólafsson (Kristófer), Kôki (Young Miko), Palmi Kormákur (Young Kristófer), Masahiro Motoki (Takahashi-san), Yôko Narahashi (Miko), Masatoshi Nakamura (Kutaragi-san), Meg Kubota (Hitomi), etc. |
| Distributors | Focus Features, & Universal Pictures. |
Kôki (Young Miko) and Palmi Kormákur (Young Kristófer) are in the Featured Image.
Poster, Featured and Other Images of the Touch (2024/Iceland) Movie are courtesy of Focus Features and Universal Pictures.