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Directed/Written by Addison Heimann.
Check out the trailer here!!
Joey (THE VATICAN TAPES’ Olivia Taylor Dudley) and Craig (ORPHAN BLACK’s Jordan Gavaris) are two self-centered roommates trying to get by. Joey recently met a man claiming to be an alien named Brian (EVIL DEAD and SPRING’s Lou Taylor Pucci) who gave her an unbelievable sexual experience that left her both exhilarated and scared. When a backed-up sewer system causes their apartment to be flooded with feces, Joey and Criag have no choice but to stay at Brian’s place. Once at his mansion, the alien Brian welcomes them with open arms and tells them about his way of life, which includes saving the world from itself. Meanwhile, both Joey and Craig begin having tentacle sex with Brian, causing a rift between the two longtime friends. But everything is not as perfect as it seems and Brian’s intentions might not be completely noble, not that the self-centered roommates care that much as long as thy keep getting their rocks off from the tentacle sex.
TOUCH ME is a twisted little comedy about absolutely horrible people. The film starts out with a cool long take of Joey talking with her therapist about her one-night stand with an alien, which is an obvious exposition drop, but Olivia Taylor Dudley is so compelling as is her story that I couldn’t look away. There really isn’t a redeemable character in the bunch, but still, because the comedy is rich and the acting is good, it’s hard not to get into this story.
Basically, this is a story of self-centeredness. Everyone is out for themselves and as the stakes rise, it’s fun watching how these supposed friends and lovers will stab each other in the back for survival. This by far is the most entertaining aspect as Joey, Craig, Brian, and his caretaker Laura (Marlene Forte) are all out for themselves and don’t matter how many bodies fall to do it.
There are strong aspects of body horror, specifically influenced by THE SUBSTANCE and tentacle porn, at play here. This is a highly sexual film, so do t expect TOUCH ME to gloss over the uncomfortable and downright day nasty bits of human copulation, hetero and homo included. But there is such a level of ludicrousness achieved in this film that you can’t help but laugh, rather than gasp at it all. The effects, the ones involving the tentacles, as well as the gorier, bloody parts, are a plenty and potent. This isn’t a film for the weak stomached.
But at the heart of it all are some fantastic performances by leads Olivia Taylor Dudley and Jordan Gavaris, who exemplify the shallow, narcissistic disease society suffers from these days so hilariously well. Lou Taylor Pucci is also great as the naive, but not so naive alien and his hip-hop dance moves that he performs to achieve a level of Zen are the highlight of this unusual little movie. Marlene Forte is also good as Laura the housekeeper with an agenda. Her demented backstory is crucial to how it all pans out in the end.
TOUCH ME is not going to be for everyone. It’s going to make you squirm, both from the slimy, gory effects, and the terrible way people treat each other. But it also holds a funhouse mirror to the cruel, sad world we live in and like most body horror, it does so grossly and insightfully.
