the film follows a young girl, niamh, who witnesses a traumatic event in which her parents and baby brother are killed. niamh moves in with some family friends and tries to readjust to a normal life, but whatever supernatural force killed her parents seems to have followed her. it doesn't get much brighter from there.
this is a bold, unforgiving film that uses horror to explore an incredibly controversial and sensitive subject. it's definitely a horror film, in that there are creepy houses and spooky goings-on, but at the same time it often has the feel of a serious drama about child abuse. more than that, it's also a film about evil, and about how at a certain point perhaps there is no redemption. it reminded me of carrie in parts, but in some ways it's the opposite of carrie. carrie is a film about a nice girl who wants to live a normal life but everyone in the world is horrible to her. in dark touch everyone wants to look after niamh, but...i don't want to spoil it.
let's just say i've seen a great many horror films and there was a moment in this film where i gasped with genuine shock at what happened onscreen.
dark touch is written and directed by marina de van, a french filmmaker who also made the amazing dans m peau, which is also one of the most disturbing horror films i've ever seen. having now seen two of her films she is quickly becoming my favourite director. there is a real talent in tackling the subject matter she chooses to tackle in such a way that her work remains in the genre but also manages to say something interesting. i have no idea what motivates her to make films this dark, but i'm really happy to see her making them.
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