Where Hands Touch

Where Hands Touch is a 2018 British-Belgian-Canadian-Irish romantic war drama film directed and written by Amma Asante and starring Amandla Stenberg, George MacKay, Abbie Cornish, Christopher Eccleston, and Tom Sweet. It was produced by Charlie Hanson, and tells the story of Leyna (Stenberg), a biracial girl under threat because of her race, due to her living in Nazi Germany.

Where Hands Touch
US theatrical release poster
Directed byAmma Asante
Produced byCharlie Hanson
Written byAmma Asante
Starring
Music byAnne Chmelewsky
CinematographyRemi Adefarasin
Edited bySteve Singleton
Production
companies
  • British Film Company
  • Head Gear Films
  • RTE
  • Screen Ireland
  • Northern Ireland Screen
  • Metrol Technology
  • Pinewood Pictures
  • UMedia
  • Nexus Factory
  • RTBF
  • Belgian Tax Shelter
Distributed byShear Entertainment[1]
Release date
  • 9 September 2018 (2018-09-09) (TIFF)
  • 14 September 2018 (2018-09-14) (United States)
Running time
122 minutes[2]
CountryUnited Kingdom
Belgium
Ireland
Canada
LanguageEnglish
Box office$67,743

Principal photography on the film began in November 2016 in Belgium and lasted for a month, wrapping up in December 2016.

Where Hands Touch premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2018. It was released theatrically in the United States on 14 September 2018 by Vertical Entertainment. It received mixed-to-negative reviews, with praise directed at Stenberg's performance, and criticism was aimed at its screenplay.

Synopsis

The film is a rite-of-passage story of a biracial teenage girl falling in love with a member of the Hitler Youth and struggling for survival in Nazi Germany. The protagonist, Leyna, is portrayed as a German nationalist, and somewhat antisemitic. Lutz is the son of a high ranking SS officer, and is initially an enthusiastic member of the Hitler Youth.

After Leyna and Lutz fall in love, she becomes pregnant. However, she gets sent to a Nazi labour camp where she must keep her pregnancy secret (as she is supposed to have been sterilized). Lutz is also stationed at the camp as an SS guard. After a bombing by the Americans, he attempts to escape with Leyna but he is killed by his father. Leyna, shocked, stays still on the ground until an American soldier comes to take her. Seven weeks later, she is heavily pregnant and she is in the displaced area where she reunites with her mother and brother.

Cast

Production

Principal photography on the film began in November 2016 and wrapped up in December 2016 after shooting took place in Belgium (Werister coal mine) and the Isle of Man.[4][3]

Release

On 20 May 2017, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions acquired the international distribution rights to the film, excluding select territories in Europe and Australia.[5] It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2018.[6] It was released in the United States on 14 September 2018 by Vertical Entertainment.[7]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 42%, based on 48 reviews, with an average rating of 5.34/10. The website's consensus reads, "Where Hands Touch is noteworthy for its exploration of a little-discussed corner of World War II, even if its story leaves something to be desired in the telling."[8] The film was criticized by the New York Times for "romanticization of Nazis".[9]

See also

References
  1. "Where Hands Touch". Box Office Mojo. IMDb.
  2. "Where Hands Touch". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  3. Barraclough, Leo (8 February 2017). "First Look: Amandla Stenberg, George MacKay in Amma Asante's 'Where Hands Touch' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  4. Wiseman, Andreas (1 November 2016). "Amma Asante's wartime race drama 'Where Hands Touch' begins in Belgium". Screen Daily. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  5. Lodderhose, Diana (20 May 2017). "Sony Pictures Worldwide Takes Amma Asante's 'Where Hands Touch' – Cannes". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  6. Vlessing, Etan (24 July 2018). "Toronto: Timothee Chalamet Starrer 'Beautiful Boy,' Dan Fogelman's 'Life Itself' Among Festival Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  7. Hipes, Patrick (21 August 2018). "Amma Asante's Toronto Pic 'Where Hands Touch' Scores Pre-Festival Deal With Vertical, Will Bow In September". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  8. "Where Hands Touch (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  9. Kenny, Glenn. "Review: 'Where Hands Touch,' Set in Nazi Germany, Is a Disturbing Misfire". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
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