The one that got away, a common theme in the romance genre. Baltasar Kormákur’s “Touch” is full of romantic suspense, covering the theme and discovering what it means to reflect on what could have been.
We are introduced to Kristófer (Egill Ólafsson), a widower, as he silently lays in bed reflecting upon his life. We see him at the doctor’s office getting what appears to be news that we all are afraid to hear. He is advised by his doctor to settle any unfinished business. As the world is about to be shut down with the onset of the COVID-19 virus, Kristófer is determined to search for his first love after 50 years.
Based on the novel written by Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson, the film gives Kormákur the chance to write and direct his own interpretation of love. “My relationship with love, 58 years that I have lived, I wanted to use the opportunity to project my kind of relationships and feelings toward it.” he said to Mochi Magazine.
If you’re a romantic like me, the idea of finding the one who got away is initially endearing, but like any realist would agree — and as the movie portrays — living in “what could have been” moments disregards the present day. Kristófer dismisses his doctor’s calls and daughter’s concerns of leaving Iceland, and heads to London.
We see Kristófer’s life unfold as it takes place in the present and past. We are taken down memory lane to see a romance develop between a young Kristófer (Pálmi Kormákur) and Miko (Kôki).
Young Kristófer is a bright economics student at the London School of Economics. Once realizing his views don’t match up with his peers, he decides to drop out. He then takes on a dishwasher job in a Japanese restaurant, immersing himself in Japanese culture and gradually falls in love with the owner’s daughter, Miko.
The movie shows that Kristófer and Miko are very fond of each other right from the start. Their first…
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