Touch Me

Plot

The film's premise revolves around two codependent friends, Joey, a woman riddled with obsessive-compulsive disorder and childhood trauma, and Craig, her gay friend. They become homeless after a series of events leave their home uninhabitable. Joey's former boyfriend Brian reappears in her life, wanting her back. Brian is an alien whose powers make problems like anxiety and depression disappear. However, beneath his façade, Brian conceals a plan filled with horrors that range from murder to other dark themes. Lured to his secluded compound, Joey and Craig will face violence and danger while discovering Brian's true side.

Cast

Olivia Taylor Dudley as Joey

Jordan Gavaris as Craig

Lou Taylor Pucci as Brian

Marlene Forte as Laura

Paget Brewster

Ashley Lauren Nedd as Dr. Kelly

JJ Phillips as Noah

Yumarie Morales as Celeste

Eli Lucas as River

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 85% of 46 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "An impressively gross and inventive allegory for relationships, Touch Me's tentacles will be hard to shake off for those open-minded enough to accept its allure." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 52 out of 100 based on 6 critics, which the site labels as "mixed or average" reviews.

Catherine Bray of The Guardian gave the movie three out of five stars, while Murtada Elfadl of Variety considered that Touch Me was not a fully realized movie. Writing for IndieWire, Chase Hutchinson gave the film a negative review, calling its scenes "obnoxious" and "overlong," adding that Touch Me is a "misguided" sci-fi horror movie that never reaches a climax. Josh Pearce of Locus magazine gave the film a mixed review, highlighting Taylor Dudley and Gavaris for their acting, but criticizing the use of Hentai-like scenes. Adam Manery, writing for his review website, gave the movie a mixed assessment, highlighting the deliberate depiction of trauma and abuse.