Touch

Touch (2024), directed and written by Baltasar Kormákur Baltasarsson follows Kristófer, an older Icelandic widower who, after learning that his memory is beginning to fail, embarks on a deeply personal journey to find Miko, the Japanese woman he fell in love with more than fifty years earlier while working in a London restaurant. As the story moves between the late 1960s and the COVID-19 pandemic, the film gradually reveals the circumstances that tore the young couple apart and the enduring impact of that loss on both of their lives. Spanning Iceland, England, and Japan, Touch is a quiet, emotionally rich drama about memory, ageing, love, regret, and the possibility of reconciliation in later life.

Three thoughts about the film:

First, Touch is a gentle, sensitive, and deeply moving film. The transitions between its two narrative threads—the youthful love story on the one hand and the challenges of later life on the other—are handled with remarkable elegance. The performances by both pairs of actors, (Egill Ólafsson - as the aging Kristof; and Palmi Kormakur - as the young Kristof; Mitsuki Kimura / Kōki - as the young Miko; and Yoko Narahashi - as old Miko), portraying the protagonists in their younger and older years, are outstanding and lend the story both emotional depth and authenticity.

Second, if one were looking for evidence of the universal nature of ageing—and indeed of our shared humanity—this film provides it. The man is Icelandic, the woman is Japanese, and much of the story unfolds in England. Yet despite the profound cultural, historical, and personal differences that separate them, both ageing and our common humanity ultimately unite them. The film beautifully illustrates that the fundamental experiences of love, loss, memory, and growing old transcend national and cultural boundaries.

Finally, there is the film's gerontological dimension. The protagonist's journey is triggered by two life events: the death of his wife and the diagnosis of cognitive decline. As his physician candidly advises him, "If you have unfinished business from your past, now is the time to deal with it." Both widowhood and cognitive decline are classic gerontological experiences that many older adults encounter at some stage in later life. How individuals cope with these transitions—and how society enables or constrains them in doing so—lies at the heart of some of gerontology's most compelling theories and research. In this sense, Touch is a fascinating gerontological film, offering a rich opportunity to reflect on these themes across diverse cultural and historical contexts.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film and wholeheartedly recommend it.

2024

Iceland

Director: Baltasar Kormákur Baltasarsson

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSnfOMsyJfs