Dark Touch (2013)

In a remote town in Ireland, eleven-year-old Niamh finds herself the sole survivor of a bloody massacre that killed her parents and younger brother. Suspecting a gang of homicidal vandals, ... See full summary »

Director:

Marina de Van

Writer:

Marina de Van

Stars:

Missy Keating, Marcella Plunkett, Pádraic Delaney

3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Missy Keating	...	Niamh
Marcella Plunkett	...	Nat Galin
Pádraic Delaney	...	Lucas Galin
Charlotte Flyvholm	...	Tanya Collins
Steve Wall	...	Matthew Collins (as Stephen Wall)
Robert Donnelly	...	Ryan Gallin
Susie Power	...	Lucy Gallin
Richard Dormer	...	Henry
Catherine Walker	...	Maud
Simon Boyle	...	Mr. Brennan
Olga Wehrly	...	Collette
Mark Huberman	...	Joseph
Katie Kirby	...	Lisbeth
Clare Barrett	...	Christine
Art Parkinson	...	Peter

Storyline

In a remote town in Ireland, eleven-year-old Niamh finds herself the sole survivor of a bloody massacre that killed her parents and younger brother. Suspecting a gang of homicidal vandals, the police ignore Niamh's explanation that the house is the culprit. To help ease her trauma, dutiful neighbors Nat and Lucas take her in with the supervision of a social worker. Niamh has trouble finding peace with the wholesome and nurturing couple, and horrific danger continues to manifest.

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Plot Keywords:

woods | laughter | running in the rain | slipping and falling | f rated | 

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Taglines:

What does evil look like?

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France Ireland Sweden

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 March 2014 (France)

Also Known As:

O Lado Sombrio

Filming Locations:

Dublin, Ireland

Box Office

Budget:

€2,729,542 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+,Ciné+,Element Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (HD)

Did You Know?

Trivia

Third feature film by French director Marina de Van.

User Reviews

Pretty unsettling in a more fundamental way, but also with numbingly slow pace and arbitrary logic.

Dark Touch takes the audience into an uncomfortable place, one with psychologically disturbing ground. It dabbles in the matter of child abuse with stylish yet subtle approach, but the slow pacing and lack of resolve might deter some viewers. The film isn't a harrowing encounter, at least not in usual adrenaline rush inducing way of horror or mystery genre, it's more of a thoughtful process to instill doubt and sympathy. However, this endeavor is probably not one audience would like to take part of.

Neve (Missy Keating) is a little girl who may or may not be abused. There's a stifling air about her, but her fragile self also instinctively draws sympathy. After a while there's a series of incident around her, which may harm her parents and anyone who tries to help her. What great about this premise is the acting of the lead child actor, Missy Keating. Not many young actors could perform as well as she does.

She embodies an interestingly frail persona, but it's still unclear whether she's the origin of misfortune or the victim, or even disturbed in an entirely supernatural way. Keating looks like a genuine troubled child, yet occasionally possessing daunting confidence. With her convincing performance, the movie at least accomplishes half of its goal.

The child abuse aspect needs to be addressed delicately, and the movie has done so with a good restraint. Unfortunately, the pacing is troublesome. There's really little suspense at the buildup, furthermore it only gets momentum after about halfway. At this point there are some random events that haven't been cleared, and ironically despite its more engaging approach the film sometimes resorts into cliché tactics.

Dark Touch is a display to bring emotions, parts of it are open to interpretation, although this might not deliver as strong message as it would like. It still has an unsettling aura with a good lead performance and relatable theme, even though the foray there is exhausting.