I remember Touch (CREDIT: Lilja Jonsdottir/© 2024 FOCUS FEATURES LLC)

Starring: Egill Ólafsson, Kōki, Pálmi Kormákur, Masahiro Motoki, Yoko Narahashi, Meg Kubota, Tatsuya Tagawa, Charles Nishikawa, Sigurður Ingvarsson, Benedikt Erlingsson, Kieran Buckeridge, Ruth Sheen, María Ellingsen, Masatoshi Nakamura

Director: Baltasar Kormákur

Running Time: 120 Minutes

Rating: R for Explicit-Enough Sexuality

Release Date: July 12, 2024 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Kristófer (Egill Ólafsson) has lived a pretty good life, if I may be so bold to say so. His daughter might call him too often in a constant state of worry for his liking, but it’s nice to know that he has family that cares about him, especially now that he’s a widower. He could simply while away his golden years in his native Iceland, but there’s a chapter from his story many decades ago that he never officially closed the book on. And so, he treks off to England and Japan to track down a woman named Miko (Yoko Narahashi), his long-lost first love. Meanwhile, we get some flashbacks to flesh out this backstory, as an idealistic Kristófer (Pálmi Kormákur) woos a young Miko (Kōki) while working together in her dad’s (Masahiro Motoki) restaurant. And it should be noted that the latter part of this journey is happening in early 2020.

What Made an Impression?: Getting Back in Touch: A special someone from so many decades ago that you just can’t shake: it do be like that sometimes, doesn’t it? There’s nothing especially remarkable about Kristófer and Miko’s love story. Circumstances made them spend a lot of time together, and then they realized that they had similar values, so they naturally grew fond of each other. That’s about it! And that’s pretty good. But her father envisioned a very different life for her, and the technology of the day didn’t really afford them any opportunities to keep in touch. But let’s make it clear that Kristófer isn’t desperate. When we meet the older version of him at the beginning of Touch, he’s a man at peace. This adventure is just a little extra adventure before he ventures off this plane of existence. After all, who could resist a little dessert before leaving the banquet?
Mask Up: A lot of pop culture produced in 2020 and 2021 was rather frustrating in its misplaced obligation to say something all-encompassing about the COVID-19 era. Fortunately, it sometimes takes just a few years to become a little more clear-eyed. And so, Touch is happy to occupy its own tiny corner of the pandemic, and nothing more. Kristófer arrives in England on the exact cusp of lockdowns and finds himself the very last guest of a hotel that’s eager to close its doors as soon as possible. His stubbornness and bad timing allow him to revel in the surreal beauty of a world shutting down for a much-needed break. Altogether, it adds up to a reminder to simply never lose touch with our hearts.

Touch is Recommended If You Like: Japanese food, Dining alone, Understated tenderness

Grade: 3 out of 5 Shutdowns