Touch

The love story, which unfolds in silence, traverses different eras and places but never misleads the audience, captivating the viewer's heart with its wonderful direction (director Baltasar Kormákur) and the beauty of the camera work (cameraman Bergsteinn Björgúlfsson). Although the story is heartbreaking and at times cruel, songs play an important role in this film to prevent it from becoming too serious. The heartbreaking Icelandic folk song sung at the beginning by an older Christopher (Egill Ólafsson) becomes the central theme of the film. Next, the song by Arai-san (Tatsuya Tagawa) from the Japanese restaurant where young Christopher (Palmi Kormákur) works depicts the love affair between Christopher and Miko (Koki, the restaurant chef's daughter, the father played by Masahiro Motoki), sometimes romantic, sometimes comical and heartbreaking. Along the way, the Icelandic folk songs sung by young Christopher are wonderful, and the karaoke by Kutaragi (Masatoshi Nakamura), whom old Christopher met in Japan, actually fits the theme of the film. The film ends with a moving performance of an Icelandic folk song sung by older Christopher while holding the hand of Miko (Yoko Narahashi), whom he sees for the first time in 50 years. The music used in the film (music by Högni Egilsson) is also very beautiful, but it is rare to see a film where the characters sing so many songs (except, of course, for musical films).

This is another heartwarming movie telling the eternal story of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy meets girl again. You could also call it "Rekindled love in the age of Covid". An absolute gem. Beautiful story, great casting and acting, awesome score. Just an overall satisfying movie with real people doing real things. No superheroes, no car chases, no explosions, just real life with the two main protagonists being from different cultures and the atom bomb on Hiroshima playing a major role. Skip all the brainless drivel Hollywood serves up all Summer and enjoy this understated heart-breaking feel-good movie.

Many of us have experienced situations in life that have left us wondering "what might have been," especially in matters of romance. And sometimes these scenarios can linger in our psyche for a lifetime, gnawing away at us and potentially leaving us with feelings of profound regret. Some of us, though, vow not to succumb to such disappointment, taking action to resolve these matters before it's too late. Such is the case of a 75-year-old Icelandic man (Egill Ólafsson) suffering from the onset of dementia during the early days of the COVID pandemic. With the clock running out, his health faltering and stringent quarantine measures being put into place, he's nevertheless desperate to learn what happened to the love of his life, a beautiful young Japanese immigrant (Koki) he met 51 years earlier while his younger self (Pálmi Kormákur) was living in London. After a brief, passionate love affair, she suddenly vanished and returned to Japan without an explanation, an event that has haunted him ever since. He decides to search for her before health and travel restrictions prevent him from doing so, an impulsive journey that takes him back to London and then on to Japan to find out what happened. To say much more would reveal too much about the secrets driving this compelling romance/mystery, suffice it to say, though, that the protagonist's tale is an engaging one, told through an absorbing story line deftly peppered with flashbacks to different points in the characters' lives. In telling this story of love and intrigue, writer-director Baltasar Kormákur presents a colorful mix of genuinely original characters in a variety of circumstances not depicted on the big screen before. Admittedly, the pacing could stand to be stepped up in a few places (an outcome that could have been accomplished with some judicious editing), and further enhancement of the back story and character development might have provided more meaningful depth to the overall narrative. However, given the captivating trail of bread crumbs that the filmmaker doles out for viewers, this heartfelt release leaves audience members continually wondering what's coming next. And, in doing so, the picture serves up a number of little-known, eye-opening cultural revelations that add spice and diversity to a genre that seldom ventures into such unfamiliar territory, an objective carried out with a tremendous sense of warmth without becoming unduly sentimental. In my view, this is the picture that the vastly overrated "Past Lives" (2023) was trying to be (and could have been), one that entertains, enlightens and educates all at the same time while providing audiences with a tale that's sure to tug at the heartstrings - and shows us how "what might have been" could have actually been brought into being.

It's a search-for-lost-love romantic drama set in 1969 London, England, and March 1980 in London and Japan, with a few scenes between those dates. Kristófer (Palmi Kormakur/Egill Ólafsson) is an elderly widower in Iceland facing increasingly fragile health just as the Covid outbreak is arriving in 2020. He leaves for London to search for a Japanese woman, Miko (Koki/Yoki Narahashi), whom he met in London in 1969 while dropping out of graduate school at the London School of Economics as a frustrated political radical.

We see Kristófer's 2020 search for Miko interspersed with scenes in 1969 when he worked initially as a dishwasher in a restaurant owned by Miko's widowed father, Takahashi-san (Masahiro Motoki). The film's 1969 scenes follow Kristófer's increasing fascination with Japanese culture, and more particularly with Miko. Their relationship grows until Takahashi-san and Miko suddenly disappear. By "Touch's" end, we learn the reasons for Miko's disappearance that stretch back to World War II.

I loved this movie, partly because I've always been a hopeless romantic. But "Touch" brings together so much from cross-cultural love, the struggle to understand never-before-seen illnesses, and the power of remembering first loves. "Touch" (a recurring visual theme between lovers) perhaps has a bit too neat an ending, but it was all very satisfying. I came close to giving it a 10.

Kristofer has limited time and ventures into the world to care for some unfinished business. With a potential global pandemic and the looming threat of countries going into lockdown, he ventures back to his old stomping grounds of London to search for Miko, a woman he loves. While revisiting the places of his youth, he relives a simpler time and what led him to a love he could never forget. Following leads and reconnecting with old friends, Kristofer hopes to feel the romance and love of Miko once again.

This beautiful love story spans decades, cultures, and historical moments. Although the story seems simple initially, it has a few twists and turns as it unfolds through flashbacks. The story is told at a slow pace, in multiple languages, and does stretch a bit. The story also gives a unique perspective of a survivor of the atomic bombing of Japan. Most WWII stories usually do not share much of the aftermath that the citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki experienced. The story shares more of the Japanese culture than Icelandic culture. This is a fantastic film and a unique watch for date night or anyone looking to experience multiple feelings simultaneously.