TOUCH
THREE STARS A man searches the past in the hope of finding his first love.
DRAMA ROMANCE ICELAND Subtitles #SNERTING
Starring Egill Ólafsson, Pálmi Baltasar
TOUCH (SNERTING in its native Icelandic) is an enigmatic film about two different types of men: a widower hoping to rekindle lost love, the other a young man on a journey of self-discovery. Turns out (not a spoiler) they’re the same person.
Old Kristófer (played with a quiet dignity by Egill Ólafsson) has recently lost his wife and on clearing their house, discovers his student ID from the 1960s. He lived in London for a while and had fallen in love with a young Japanese woman. In flashback, young Kristófer (Pálmi, the impossibly handsome son of director Baltasar Kormákur) is a thoughtful, anti-establishment activist caught up in the student waves of the late 60’s. Yet he longs for the decency and order of a simple working life, quits school and gets work as a dishwasher in a Japanese restaurant. He fits right in and soon falls for the owner’s daughter Miko, who has a strained relationship with her father which might point to a family secret.
We know that the relationship didn’t work out (the wife Kristófer recently lost isn’t Miko) yet on impulse the older man grabs one of the last seats out Iceland before COVID lockdown to find a woman he hasn’t talked to in half a century, not even knowing if she’s still alive. Make this leap of logic with him and you’re in for a treat.
Kormákur is a delightfully old-fashioned storyteller and were there more like him. TOUCH is unashamedly predictable as it jumps from now to then and back again in service of the narrative; surprise isn’t what this story is about. As the director leads us through a few tear-jerking scenes, one or two gut-punches and on to a poignant, tender resolve, this is about the journey, Kristófer’s commitment to the past and Kormákur’s commitment to authenticity.
As is the way of such films, the flashbacks are considerably more interesting than the present. It’s more fun hanging out with the good-looking youngsters in the first throes of meaningful love, learning what it means to be an adult (and how to make kick-ass sushi). The story would also benefit from a bridge between then and now; what became of Kristófer with the broken heart? Did his wife know about this yearning?
While the story could be more rounded it doesn't topple, and as TOUCH nears its conclusion, we do care what happens. We want that search for Miko to be successful. We want old Kristófer to find happiness. Ultimately, the film does its job with skill, heart and a giant serve of sentiment. Some say it's syrup, I say it's sweet.
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