Touched (I) (2023) User Reviews

Great movie from a promising female director!

[alnouschi · 9/10 · 28 November 2023]

The movie is really captivating. It is a great work on many aspects, as Claudia Rorarius treated a great subject in a very demanding and very audacious way. The story itself is deeply moving and dramatic , in this love affair going through all the steps of desire, love, and hate. The director's way of looking at the characters is so impressive, in such a frank and bold manner. The movie industry is full of sex scenes where the director, mostly men, are projecting their phantasms on the audience, putting the spectator in the situation of a peeping tom. It is all the contrary with Touched. Although a lot is shown, it is always supporting a clear statement and a clear look at this developing drama. A look sometimes clinical, always sympathetic and humanist, never trash.

The movie is also served by an amazing photography, with such an interesting research on colors and nuances, which is the mark of a profound artistic research. The structure of the movie and its respirations are also so interesting, those « overflying landscape » commas or the choreography or karaoke ones which are adding references to other arts such as painting, dance or singing. This movie if full of so many dimensions and it is important to mention one of the most amazing, which is the casting: Stavros and Isolde are literally filling the space and the flow of elapsing time, with such a sense of truth! Not to mention the other great cast.

Well written, well structured, well shot, highly dramatic and tender, captivating and audacious. A great cast and team around a vey promising female director !

Appalling film that fails on pretty much every level

[indiecinemamagazine · 1/10 · 11 August 2023]

The film "Touched" by director Claudia Rorarius was screened at Locarno Film Festival 2023 in the Concorso Cineasti del presente program and was introduced as a love story about a forbidden romance, "celebrating diverse bodies and breaking taboos".

"Touched" is a truly appalling film that fails on pretty much every level imaginable. The premise alone is deeply disturbing - a story about an obese nurse taking advantage of a paralyzed patient and ultimately strangling him is not only distasteful but also morally repugnant. The film seems to revel in its shock value, attempting to capitalize on the sensationalism of its subject matter rather than engaging in any meaningful storytelling.

The explicit scenes scattered throughout the film look like the most despicable porn-videos on PornHub and serve no purpose other than to shock and titillate, contributing nothing to the plot or character development. It's as if the filmmakers were more interested in pushing the boundaries of decency rather than creating a coherent and thought-provoking narrative, this reliance on shock tactics only underscores the film's lack of substance.

The technical aspects of the film are equally disappointing; the cinematography is boring, with poorly framed shots and lackluster camera work. The unconvincing acting further drags down the film, with performances that lack depth and authenticity. It's difficult to become emotionally invested in characters who come across as caricatures rather than real individuals.

Perhaps the most distressing aspect of "Touched" is its complete lack of artistic integrity. The film appears to be nothing more than the twisted imaginings of a sick mind, exploiting taboo subjects for shock value without offering any substantive exploration of themes or ideas. Instead of delving into spirituality or offering any meaningful insight, the director chooses to wallow in the lowest forms of human behavior.

In conclusion, "Touched" is a repulsive and offensive film that offers nothing of value to its audience. Its exploitative nature, explicit scenes, poor technical execution, and absence of meaningful storytelling make it a prime example of how not to approach filmmaking. This film is a stain on the industry and the film festival that screened it and is an insult to the intelligence of its viewers. What else can we expect after that? Necrophilia, romance with a corpse or zoophilia?

"Touched" reaches a new low by not only presenting a morally reprehensible narrative but also by exploiting the human body for fetishistic purposes. The film's decision to portray the bodies in the most explicit, unattractive and fetishized manner adds another layer of distaste to an already offensive storyline.

Raping the defenseless invalid by a nurse who has professional and legal obligations is a criminal case which should not be presented as "forbidden love".

Using the characters' physical appearances as objects of fetishism not only further dehumanizes them but also raises serious ethical concerns.

Rather than exploring deeper themes, emotions, or psychological complexities, the film seems content to exploit the characters solely for shock and discomfort.

Promoting or glorifying harmful behaviors, especially those involving violence, abuse, or exploitation, is not only morally unacceptable but also has the potential to perpetuate harmful ideology.