Dark Touch takes the audience into an uncomfortable place, one with psychologically disturbing ground. It dabbles in the matter of child abuse with stylish yet subtle approach, but the slow pacing and lack of resolve might deter some viewers. The film isn't a harrowing encounter, at least not in usual adrenaline rush inducing way of horror or mystery genre, it's more of a thoughtful process to instill doubt and sympathy. However, this endeavor is probably not one audience would like to take part of.
Neve (Missy Keating) is a little girl who may or may not be abused. There's a stifling air about her, but her fragile self also instinctively draws sympathy. After a while there's a series of incident around her, which may harm her parents and anyone who tries to help her. What great about this premise is the acting of the lead child actor, Missy Keating. Not many young actors could perform as well as she does.
She embodies an interestingly frail persona, but it's still unclear whether she's the origin of misfortune or the victim, or even disturbed in an entirely supernatural way. Keating looks like a genuine troubled child, yet occasionally possessing daunting confidence. With her convincing performance, the movie at least accomplishes half of its goal.
The child abuse aspect needs to be addressed delicately, and the movie has done so with a good restraint. Unfortunately, the pacing is troublesome. There's really little suspense at the buildup, furthermore it only gets momentum after about halfway. At this point there are some random events that haven't been cleared, and ironically despite its more engaging approach the film sometimes resorts into cliché tactics.
Dark Touch is a display to bring emotions, parts of it are open to interpretation, although this might not deliver as strong message as it would like. It still has an unsettling aura with a good lead performance and relatable theme, even though the foray there is exhausting.
