Steve Palopoli
Metro, San Jose
February 29 – March 6, 2012
Touch isn’t just the name of writer/director Minh Duc Nguyen’s film, it’s also its visual and metaphorical obsession – and a perfect choice, since Nguyen himself has a gift for nonverbal communication. There’s so much in this film that is said without being spoken; Touch is “show don’t tell” at its finest. Nguyen uses fluid editing, montages and tableaux of his characters to relate the real story here, the emotional one. The result is a lot more interesting and relevant than the throwaway romantic- drama setup would suggest. In fact, it’s almost misleading to characterize the film by way of its plot devices – a lovelorn mechanic in a struggling marriage (John Ruby) begins going to a lonely young Vietnamese clinician in a nail salon (Porter Lynn) in the hope of un-grubbing himself enough to win back the attention of his seemingly heartless wife (Melinda Bennett). Yes, of course, sparks are going to fly, but beyond that, Nguyen refuses to settle for the expected clichés in any of the film’s subplots. Ultimately, this is a surprisingly deep and moving film about the Vietnamese- American experience. It’s also about the human need for touch, and what it makes us do – and, in our bravest moments, allows us to do, too.
............................................................................................. "...Lynn is a revelation as Tam, exuding a confidence and bravery that showcase her talent in a way that should be exploited for further successes. Director Nguyen has delivered a find worthy of the festival circuit and...should definitely be added to your “someone to watch” list."
Elliot V. Kotek
Moving Pictures Network
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"...'Touch' is a beautiful and touching tribute to the power of human connection as conveyed by physical touch. Writer/director Minh Duc Nguyen deserves major kudo for presenting a story that's both culturally authentic and universally relatable. This is a must-see for anyone who has a romantic streak..."
Zheng the Filmmaker
Bellevue, WA, United States
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"To sum everything up, Touch has powerful performances, it looks great, the directing is fluent and intuitive and the story is full of heart."
James Drzewiecki
Entertainment Edge, Boston
Friday, April 22, 2011
By James Drzewiecki
Entertainment Edge
Original article can be viewed here.
In the independent film ‘Touch’, director Minh Duc Nguyen, teaches us how a single touch can have such an emotional impact. He also teaches us that you don’t need 3D glasses to make your characters and story three dimensional.
The film focuses on a Vietnamese manicurist named Tam (Porter Lynn). She works at V.I.P. nails and just obtained a new customer, Brendan (John Ruby). Brendan is a shy guy who is looking to clean the oil stains off of his hands, something he hopes will fix his strained relationship with his wife.
Brendan continues to go to the nail salon every day, where his relationship with Tam begins to grow. She soon starts offering him advice about how to fix his relationship. Her advice starts to work but Brendan and Tam start having feelings for each other.
I’m not going to give anymore away, because I don’t want to ruin it.
Let’s get into the review now. Starting with the performances, John Ruby does a great job in the role of Brendan. He is able to make his character believable, which makes us care about him and what he’s going through. Yet, it’s actress Porter Lynn who steals the show. This was Lynn’s first movie and I expect her to be in many more.
Lynn’ strongest point is how she is able to just sink into the role. She was very natural, which made her scenes with her father very strong and my favorite scenes in the movie. She also has the ability to say so much without saying anything. We can understand her character by just observing her behavior, which really impressed me.
One last performance I want to mention is that of Long Nguyen, he plays the father of Tam and gives such an explosive performance. Like I said above his scenes with Lynn were such amazing scenes and that was because the dialogue was solid, the actors seemed to really understand and feel what was going on and the direction was top notch.
Next is the story. Nguyen wrote the script himself and it contains a lot of heart, which seems to be missing from a lot of movies these days. He is able to create a world, fill it with his characters and makes us care what happens to them. I have nothing really negative to say about the script but if I did have to nit pick I would say that some of the minor characters could have had a little more time on screen.
Yet, there is no denying that Nguyen is a storyteller and a gifted director. I recently interviewed him and he revealed what he was working on next.
“I just finish writing the screenplay for my next film. It's a romantic horror...a new twist on the horror genre that I hope audiences will be moved and shocked by its story at the same time,” said Nguyen.
I’m excited for this, I love horror and I’m really interested in what Nguyen has in store for us next.
To sum everything up, Touch has powerful performances, it looks great, the directing is fluent and intuitive and the story is full of heart.
Touch will have its World Premiere at the Boston International Film Festival on Saturday, April 23, 8:15 p.m., at AMC/LOEWS Theatres, 175 Tremont St., Boston Common. You can get tickets here: http://bifilmfestival.com/0000011session38.html.
Go out and support the film.
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