Touch

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 only July 2024 and this is hands down the best film of the year so far. What a dream it would be to see this film be nominated at next year's Oscars for the filmmakers and cast. Hopefully this film will be remembered in some other award races if not the Oscars. The story telling is gentle and beguiling but never slow. There is no wasted moments as Kristofer (Egill Ólafsson) now worried about memory problems after his wife has since passed and living a lonely life in Iceland. He takes the audience on a journey through the start of pandemic through London and Japan (and through extended flashbacks) as he searches for a true love who abandoned him half a century ago. The actors are well chosen for the roles including the actors playing the young Kristofer (Pálmi Kormákur) and his love interest Miko (Kôki). All the emotions and reactions seem natural and their empathy fully earned. A restrained but pivotal role is played by Masahiro Motoki as Miko's father and Kristofer's mentor in Japanese cuisine. Audiences may remember Motoki from the Oscar winning film "Departures". The best films often have stories we wish will never end. We want to know more and this film is no exception. But the ending here is fully satisfying. It's a quietly intense and yet still emotional ending. How do we overcome loss and find the courage to resolve our grief. This story shows how one man finds the will in what initially feels like an impossible situation.

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.

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.

The acting was great by the young and old actors. The pacing was really good. I was worried by the fact the movies constantly jumps between present and past, but I was able to follow without issue most of the times. The story flows very well, and I never lost interest over the 2 hours timeframe. It has a solid conclusion where a few questions are still ligering, but not major to main plotline. It felt like I just followed a old man following his footsteps in a very wholesome journey, and he went through lots of things. The soundtrack in the movie is minimal which I appreciate. I never heard icelandic before. Also, this movie inspiries you to learn a language which is great for those trying to learn a new language.