7/10
Potential of a powerful story wasted
9 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Touched with Fire was a whirlwind of a film to watch. Although it had its brief moments that pumped its audience with adrenaline, the story dragged for the rest of the show time.

The film centers around two writers suffering from an episode of the condition they both share: bipolar disorder. They meet as patients in the psych hospital they are being treated at. Carla is a mysterious and quiet poet who is tricked into committing herself into the hospital by her psychiatrist. Marco- a rebellious songwriter- is committed against his will after a night of mania and foolish acts. As the two attempt to accept their treatment, they grow a bond that widens their hearts but threatens their mental health.

The performances was probably one of the aspects of the film that boosted the film's quality, but Katie Holmes acts more like she is high on drug which has the purpose to release you of stress rather than a sufferer of bipolar. Although many praised her performance in the feature, I found it lifeless and tedious. Luke Kirby shines as Marco and portrays both the aggressive and humane aspects of his character. His performance brought out the accurate feelings, sorrows and artistic abilities of a bipolar sufferer.

One of my problems with the film was that the plot was disorganized and many events that occurred didn't seem to match the puzzle of the story.There was certain repetition of each event and many 'Romeo and Juliet' moments. These moments included the parents of both characters telling them they couldn't be together, them running away , being found and the cycle occurring a few more times.

Despite the disorganized plot, Touched With Fire does display bipolar disorder to a superb degree. The characters are written accurately and aren't displayed by any false stereotypical means.

Touched with Fire is worth watching due to the important message it spreads about an illness everyone thinks they know-but they really don't.

7 out of 10 stars.
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