Adina Pintilie’s first feature gained attention this year after leaving Berlinale with the coveted Golden Bear. Despite many eyes on it. Touch Me Not is a film that evades a category. At a push it is perhaps best described as an hybrid docu-fiction. The film uses this unusual form to engage in a vivid look at the relationship between sexuality and the self.
An intensely personal experiment, Pintilie herself appears as the documentary’s main interrogator. The filmmaker frames the narrative as a video essay on intimacy, citing her own relationship with her mother as inspiration.
Pinitilie’s essay focuses on middle aged, modern woman Laura, portrayed thoughtfully by Laura Benson, is experiencing physical and emotional barriers that prevent her from forming intimate relationships with others. It is through the fictional setup of Laura’s journey to sexual wellness – where the film explores several non-fictive accounts of carnal and corporeal knowledge.
The first of the significant real-life figures met by Laura, is Hanna – a trans woman, sex worker and intimacy counsellor. The second is Christian – a young man with severe muscular dystrophy, who Laura views from afar while observing a hospital mindfulness class. Both figures rebel against ideas that people of trans experience, and people with disabilities are not allowed to be viewed sexually, and cannot, therefore, have sexual identities or form intimate relationships. Hanna and Christian throw incorrect and harmful preconceptions in the bin with vulnerable, relatable discourse. It is their authentic stories that provide Touch Me Not with its soul.
Expert cinematography and experimental sound design throughout the film reflect the narrative’s uncomfortable closeness almost too well. However for a film that nears two hours in length, the choice to include repetitive framing and sound design becomes cumbersome by the final act.
The film struggles at times with accessibility. Titles and subtitles in small, dull print seemed an odd choice for a festival that is aiming towards more inclusive screenings. It is worth noting that there are some scenes set in a sex club that veer towards framing the kink community in a less-than-positive light.
Ultimately, Touch Me Not presents an unflinching look at the relationships we form with our own bodies. Although a tough-watch, the film provides insight on those who often get overlooked by the sexual lens, pushing under represented intimate identities to the forefront. Despite its flaws, the pieces of truth this film gives its audiences will undoubtedly resonate.
Camilla Turnbull – On the Town.
