This film is part of Rentals
Touched with Fire
Two young poets with bipolar begin a highly passionate, volatile relationship that threatens both their futures.
Director: Paul Dalio
Overview
Carla (Katie Holmes) is a young poet whose erratic behaviour lands her in an institution for bipolar patients. There she meets a likeminded soul and they embark upon an intense relationship. But Marco (Luke Kirby) is ambivalent about taking his medication, believing the pair’s artistry and romance will flourish further if unburdened by chemical restrictions. As their volatile relationship continues, much to the chagrin of people around them, they come to the realisation that only as fugitives will they manage to stay together – unless they tear each other apart first.
Katie Holmes will surprise many a viewer with her work here, a far more committed performance than any seen from her to date (with shades of Claire Danes’ work in Homeland), while Kirby is just as impressive. But while strong acting anchors the film, Touched with Fire is equally impressive as a visual spectacle. Taking its cues from the works of Van Gogh, with whom the lovers are obsessed as a fellow bipolar artist, director Paul Dalio presents the frame as an expressionistic canvas, which transfigures according to its characters’ emotional states. It may not be surprising to learn that Dalio is bipolar himself, which only serves to make this debut feature an even more commendable achievement.
strong language, suicide references
Related
Barrio Boy Barrio Boy
Romance 2022 83 mins Director: Dennis Shinners
A Latino barber embarks on an erotically charged odyssey of self-discovery over one hot summer in Brooklyn.
Small Things Like These Small Things Like These
Drama 2024 99 mins Director: Tim Mielants
Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy delivers a stunning performance as a coal merchant who discovers horrific secrets about his local convent.
Rafiki Rafiki
Drama 2018 83 mins Director: Wanuri Kahiu
Romantic sparks fly between the daughters of two opposing politicians in Wanuri Kahiu’s neon-bright story of forbidden love in Kenya.
Who We Love Who We Love
Drama 2021 94 mins Director: Graham Cantwell
Bullied for her sexuality, Dublin schoolgirl Lily turns to her gay best friend for support in this vibrant coming-out, coming-of-age drama.
2073 2073
Documentary 2024 83 mins Director: Asif Kapadia
Oscar-winning director Asif Kapadia's unsettling drama-documentary delivers a powerful commentary on the state of the world today… and tomorrow.
Only the River Flows Only the River Flows
Crime 2023 102 mins Director: Shujun Wei
Shujun Wei's slow-burn noir draws us inexorably into its mysterious psychological journey.
The Big Sick The Big Sick
Comedy 2017 120 mins Director: Michael Showalter
The hilarious, breakout indie comedy about a Pakistan-born comedian and his culture-clash relationship with an American grad student.
A Ghost Story A Ghost Story
Drama 2017 92 mins Director: David Lowery
David Lowery's haunting exploration of love and loss, with Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck is a high-point of recent independent American cinema.
The Glass Castle The Glass Castle
Biopic 2017 127 mins Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Woody Harrelson, Brie Larson and Naomi Watts play members of an anarchic family that refuses society's norms, in this moving and offbeat drama from the director of Short Term 12.
Columbus Columbus
Drama 2016 104 mins Director: kogonada
A young librarian with a thing for Modernist architecture expands her horizons when a Korean lawyer (John Cho) comes to town, in this impeccable debut from acclaimed video artist kogonada.
1985 1985
Drama 2018 86 mins Director: Yen Tan
Stunningly shot drama following a closeted advertising executive who tries to reconnect with his family during the first wave of the AIDS crisis.
Monsters and Men Monsters and Men
Drama 2018 96 mins Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green
Unravelling the aftermath of a police killing of a black man - and how it affects the lives of three separate individuals. With John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman).
Barrio Boy Barrio Boy
Romance 2022 83 mins Director: Dennis Shinners
A Latino barber embarks on an erotically charged odyssey of self-discovery over one hot summer in Brooklyn.
Small Things Like These Small Things Like These
Drama 2024 99 mins Director: Tim Mielants
Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy delivers a stunning performance as a coal merchant who discovers horrific secrets about his local convent.
Rafiki Rafiki
Drama 2018 83 mins Director: Wanuri Kahiu
Romantic sparks fly between the daughters of two opposing politicians in Wanuri Kahiu’s neon-bright story of forbidden love in Kenya.
Luxor Luxor
Romance 2020 86 mins Director: Zeina Durra
Andrea Riseborough stars as an aid worker processing the trauma of working on the frontline on the Jordanian-Syrian border.
Who We Love Who We Love
Drama 2021 94 mins Director: Graham Cantwell
Bullied for her sexuality, Dublin schoolgirl Lily turns to her gay best friend for support in this vibrant coming-out, coming-of-age drama.
2073 2073
Documentary 2024 83 mins Director: Asif Kapadia
Oscar-winning director Asif Kapadia's unsettling drama-documentary delivers a powerful commentary on the state of the world today… and tomorrow.