Touch Me: A Psychosexual Alien Odyssey
Addison Heimann's "Touch Me" is a vibrant, maximalist fever dream that blends psychosexual horror with queer comedy in ways that shouldn't work but somehow do. This surreal journey follows Joey (Olivia Taylor Dudley), dealing with OCD and childhood trauma, and her trust-fund friend Craig (Jordan Gavaris) as they become addicted to the "heroin-like touch" of Brian (Lou Taylor Pucci), a tracksuit-wearing, hip-hop-dancing tentacled alien whose caress cures anxiety.
Heimann's second feature demonstrates remarkable visual ambition. Shot in three different aspect ratios with a vibrant, saturated color palette, the film is a feast for the eyes. The cinematography creates a neon-drenched world that feels both dreamy and nightmarish, while custom-built lighting effects using broken mirrors covered in epoxy create genuinely otherworldly atmosphere.
Olivia Taylor Dudley delivers a raw, vulnerable performance as Joey, capturing both the desperation of someone seeking relief from mental anguish and the dangerous allure of easy fixes. Lou Taylor Pucci brings unexpected charm to his alien manipulator, making Brian simultaneously seductive and repulsive. Jordan Gavaris provides grounded support as Craig, whose own codependency issues mirror Joey's struggTouch Meles.
The film's boldest element is its commitment to weirdness. Inspired by Japanese "pinku eiga" films of the 1960s-70s, "Touch Me" embraces camp and maximalism without shame. The tentacle-filled sequences are shot with strange reverence, while the electronic, bass-heavy score creates an unsettling sonic landscape. The opening six-minute single-take therapy monologue immediately establishes the film's uAddison Heimann's 'Touch Me' is a vibrant, maximalist fever dream that blends psychosexual horror with queer comedy. The film follows Joey (Olivia Taylor Dudley), dealing with OCD and childhood trauma, and her trust-fund friend Craig (Jordan Gavaris) as they become addicted to the "heroin-like touch" of Brian (Lou Taylor Pucci), a tracksuit-wearing, hip-hop-dancing tentacled alien whose caress cures anxiety.
Heimann's second feature demonstrates remarkable visual ambition. Shot in three different aspect ratios with a vibrant, saturated color palette, the film is a feast for the eyes. The cinematography creates a neon-drenched world that feels both dreamy and nightmarish, while custom-built lighting effects using broken mirrors covered in epoxy create genuinely otherworldly atmosphere.
Olivia Taylor Dudley delivers a raw, vulnerable performance as Joey, capturing both the desperation of someone seeking relief from mental anguish and the dangerous allure of easy fixes. Lou Taylor Pucci brings unexpected charm to his alien manipulator, making Brian simultaneously seductive and repulsive. Jordan Gavaris provides grounded support as Craig, whose own codependency issues mirror Joey's struggles.
The film's bold commitment to weirdness, inspired by Japanese 'pinku eiga' films of the 1960s-70s, embraces camp and maximalism without shame. However, the convoluted plot involving climate change metaphors and alien tree-planting feels underdeveloped, and the tonal shifts between horror and comedy don't always land effectively. Some viewers may find the deliberate camp aesthetic more exhausting than entertaining.
Despite its flaws, 'Touch Me' offers a unique and deeply felt exploration of addiction, trauma, and the complicated nature of healing through its fantastical lens.nflinching approach to mental health representation.
However, "Touch Me" sometimes buckles under its own ambition. The convoluted plot involving climate change metaphors and alien tree-planting feels underdeveloped, while the tonal shifts between horror and comedy don't always land effectively. The film's runtime occasionally feels indulgent, and some viewers may find the deliberate camp aesthetic more exhausting than entertaining.
What makes "Touch Me" fascinating is its authentic exploration of queer mental health struggles through a fantastical lens. The film uses its alien premise to examine codependent relationships, narcissistic manipulation, and the dangerous appeal of quick fixes for psychological pain. It's a movie that respects its audience's intelligence while delivering genuinely shocking and beautiful imagery.
"Touch Me" won't be for everyone – it's aggressively weird and uncompromising in its vision. But for viewers willing to embrace its maximalist approach, it offers a unique and deeply felt exploration of addiction, trauma, and the complicated nature of healing. Heimann has created something truly original here, a film that lingers in the mind long after its neon-soaked credits roll.