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Touch Me Not

  • 2018
  • Not Rated
  • 2h 3m
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
3.1K
YOUR RATING
Touch Me Not (2018)
Drama

Together, a filmmaker and her characters venture into a personal research project about intimacy. On the fluid border between reality and fiction, Touch Me Not follows the emotional journeys... Read allTogether, a filmmaker and her characters venture into a personal research project about intimacy. On the fluid border between reality and fiction, Touch Me Not follows the emotional journeys of Laura, Tómas and Christian, offering a deeply empathic insight into their lives.Together, a filmmaker and her characters venture into a personal research project about intimacy. On the fluid border between reality and fiction, Touch Me Not follows the emotional journeys of Laura, Tómas and Christian, offering a deeply empathic insight into their lives.

  • Director
    • Adina Pintilie
  • Writer
    • Adina Pintilie
  • Stars
    • Laura Benson
    • Tómas Lemarquis
    • Christian Bayerlein
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.6/10
    3.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Adina Pintilie
    • Writer
      • Adina Pintilie
    • Stars
      • Laura Benson
      • Tómas Lemarquis
      • Christian Bayerlein
    • 28User reviews
    • 95Critic reviews
    • 65Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 20 nominations total

    Videos1

    Touch Me Not
    Trailer 1:33
    Touch Me Not

    Photos38

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    Top cast33

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    Laura Benson
    Laura Benson
    • Laura
    Tómas Lemarquis
    Tómas Lemarquis
    • Tomas
    Christian Bayerlein
    • Christian
    Grit Uhlemann
    • Grit
    Adina Pintilie
    Adina Pintilie
    • Adina
    Hanna Hofmann
    • Hanna…
    Seani Love
    Seani Love
    • Seani
    Irmena Chichikova
    Irmena Chichikova
    • Mona
    Rainer Steffen
    • Stefan
    Georgi Naldzhiev
    Georgi Naldzhiev
    • Male Escort
    Dirk Lange
    Dirk Lange
    • Radu
    Annett Sawallisch
    • Nurse
    Jette Blümler
    Michael Braun
    George Chiper
    Matt Claudia
    Ater Crudus
    Paul Dunca
    • Director
      • Adina Pintilie
    • Writer
      • Adina Pintilie
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews28

    5.63.1K
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    Featured reviews

    8ponderingthought

    Not for Everyone, but worth the time...if you want to work a bit .....

    Touch Me Not is (for me,) one of those types of films that grows on you after viewing it, be that good or bad. In my case it was a good thing. It's not a perfect film, there are parts (the over-use of white for one thing) that smacks a bit of pretentiousness (again to me), but this is a beautifully filmed movie, and the central character, I found interesting, and I wanted to journey with her as she lived out her quest to come to terms with demons from her past (I will say no more), and find peace within herself and move forward... her comment about being fifty and understanding her limited time of full health, and her need to live those dwindling totally healthy years, truly healthy (body and mind), really rang true. As a new director, I am interested to see where she can go next. In the year of #metoo and #timesup, it's win at Berlin could be construed as an homage to that, but I feel in many ways it did deserve its wins for showcasing these ideas in a very intelligent manner. There are moments in the film (the "therapists" sessions and one part of the sex club scene...again, no more as to spoil anything), that left me with mixed emotions, but I think it was my own thoughts, comfort levels and preferences that were influencing and projecting onto the scenes. It was these types of instances that drew me to like this film, for a movie that can make me question my ideas and perceptions is all right by me.
    ABThomas

    Wow, people need to lighten up

    This movie was outrageous fun, NOT to be taken too seriously. I was depressed and forced myself to watch this and laughed the whole way through. 7/10
    6kareemamgad

    A Bold, Experimental Journey That's Not for Everyone

    Touch Me Not is a daring, unconventional exploration of intimacy, vulnerability, and human connection. It's the kind of film that challenges traditional narrative structure and dares to push cinematic boundaries, which can be both its greatest strength and weakness.

    I appreciated the film's willingness to explore raw and deeply personal themes, and there are moments that feel genuinely brave and emotionally resonant. The documentary-fiction hybrid approach adds a layer of authenticity, but it also makes the pacing feel uneven at times. Not everything works, and some segments feel overly drawn-out or self-indulgent.

    Visually, the film is crafted with care, and there's clear intent in every frame. However, its abstract nature may alienate viewers expecting a more straightforward experience. While I admire the ambition behind Touch Me Not, the result is a mixed experience-thought-provoking in parts, but not consistently engaging throughout.

    Still, I give credit to the filmmakers for attempting something so personal and unapologetically different. It's a film that invites introspection, even if it doesn't always succeed in delivering its message clearly.
    8GeorgiaMihalcea

    A challenging way to answer challenging issues about the truths of human nature

    A brave film that puts things, people, dimensions and perspectives on the table of truth, things that we do not look at easily, we do not look at at all or look with too much judgment and prejudice.

    I loved Laura from start to end, she kept the film in her hand in an extremely difficult role, an excellent actress that I would love to see in other productions.

    I also liked the music and cinematography, as well as the director's passion for innovation and experiment, her overall curiosity for life and courage to jump in the unknown.

    "Touch me not" is not a movie to fall in love with and not for people who live life at its surface, but it is a necessary, human and useful film, a movie that stays with you and raises new questions if you leave yourself open and allow it, if you accept the journey the director proposes to you.

    My opinion is that the film deserves its Golden Bear award, and because it's also a debut film for the director, the performance is even more impressive. I expect Adina Pintilie to return in the coming years with surprising productions as there's a lot of potential in her.
    8khrystiayavna

    What a savagery it is to be yourself

    In Touch Me Not the line between art and documentary is barely noticeable. The events that are often presented by the director herself are devoid of any cinematic effects and look all too real on camera. Obviously, professional actors were involved in the creation of Touch Me Not. However, many of the actors play themselves in the movie, which makes you believe them, empathize, understand and accept.

    The given film is deservedly scandalous. Adina Pintilie shows us the things we would like to neither notice nor see. The film reveals that sometimes even lying next to each other is a challenge.

    The main character of the film, Laura, cannot tolerate it when other people touch her. We do not know if it is inborn or there was something that made her become withdrawn. Gradually, Adina Pintilie pulls back the curtains adding new details that let us guess the reason behind Laura's vulnerability.

    It appears to be an old man she visits at the hospital. He is the heart of the problem. Every time Laura meets him, she is reserved. It is only after some time has passed she finds the courage to show her anger and frailty in the face of the bitter hatred she feels towards the man.

    All throughout the film, Laura seeks the answer to the question of how to develop intimacy after being abused.

    Genuine intimacy is to reconcile with yourself. At the same time, though, we need other people to understand ourselves better. The woman associates herself with those who surround her, with what they do and how they do that. Their bodies become her body.

    However, Laura is not always able to achieve what she is striving for. As a rule, everything happens the other way around. There is no closeness, no physical intimacy, let alone mental intimacy.

    Watching a gigolo taking a shower, Laura wants to talk to him, to learn more about him. She is willing to find out what it is like to be in a relationship with someone. What she gets instead is the man who shamelessly undresses and leaves the woman alone. The only thing left, though, is the man's smell on the tumbled sheets.

    On her way, Laura encounters different partners and mentors. Among them, she is looking for somebody who she could show her true self to. She is in search of her container of warmth, emotions and feelings.

    It seems that all the people around Laura might release her from the prison of her own body. Yet, besides being afraid of physical intimacy, she is even more afraid of her reaction to being touched. When someone crosses the line, she shouts reminding the person of WHAT they have done. She screams as if she wants to get rid of her anger, but, in fact, she dives in it deeper and deeper.

    In Touch Me Not everybody is brutally honest. You might get the feeling that you have entered the world without lies. All the characters, often in the form of a confession-like interview, say what they feel, how they live and what they suffer from. They honestly claim that you can love yourself despite the flaws. For instance, disability is sometimes viewed by society as a weakness or defect. There is a stereotype that if you live with severe disability, your sexuality is asleep, you cannot give and get sensual pleasure.

    Laura accidentally finds the place where sessions of physical contact are conducted for such people, as they lack tactual sensations in their lives. Their eyes are closed and their fingers are touching someone else's face. They do have a craving for intimacy and it is not unexpected.

    Things that one might perceive as deviations are the norm for others. After all, we choose what is the norm and what is not, labelling it as 'unacceptable'. There are a lot of things in the film that may seem wrong or absurd - it can be a man who feels like a woman and caresses his breasts or a secret sex club where you can see a real BDSM party (far not like the one in 50 Shades of Gray or paperback romantic books) where there are pure dominance and the rope that tightly clasps around all the bones of a fragile girl.

    There are many invisible people in the film. Like shadows, they follow others as well as one another. These people are lost and want to be invisible.

    Perhaps, it is the reason why there are so few words in the film. People simply do not want to attract attention by being different, by their far from ideal bodies, unusual behavior, non-trivial problems. They seem to be restrained in their thoughts and actions.

    Touch Me Not is a dizzyingly nonuniform film. It does not have a single center of gravity. There is closeness, alienation, escape acceptance of oneself and a great deal of life. In such life, you have nothing left to do but be yourself.

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    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Actor Christian Bayerlein was born with a severe disability called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). He has a diploma in computer science and works as a web developer at the German Federal Archives. He lives in Koblenz, Germany, and was the Honorary Disability Officer of Koblenz for five years until 2015. Because of his participation in provocative art and his intimate interviews - available online in German - concerning his sexual life as a disabled person, the ruling political party CDU was against his re-election. On his personal website 'www.thalon.de' Christian writes about himself: "I'm a nerd, loving Science and Science Fiction - especially 'Star Trek'. I travel a lot, seeing the world is one of my big passions. I love to hang out with friends and go to the cinema as well as enjoying arts and culture."
    • Quotes

      Adina: [voice over] Tell me how you loved me, so I know how to love.

    • Soundtracks
      5 Uhr 48/Tier
      Written by Blixa Bargeld and N.U. Unruh

      Performed by Einstürzende Neubauten

      Published by Freibank

      Courtesy of Potomak

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    FAQ17

    • How long is Touch Me Not?Powered by Alexa

    Details

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    • Release date
      • October 31, 2018 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • Romania
      • Germany
      • Czech Republic
      • Bulgaria
      • France
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
    • Also known as
      • [Не] Торкайся
    • Filming locations
      • Germany
    • Production companies
      • Manekino Film
      • Rohfilm
      • Pink Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • €1,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $13,782
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $5,616
      • Jan 13, 2019
    • Gross worldwide
      • $75,507
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h 3m(123 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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