Touched with Fire (2015) Reviews

• A realistic and non sensationalised account of bipolar patients

  Gordon-112016-06-24

  This film tells the story of a man and a woman who meet each other in a psychiatric ward in a hospital. They bond over poetry and other artistic aspects, yet they trigger each other's manic illness that naturally causes much concern to the people around them. "Touched With Fire" is the name of a poetry book that I had to study in my GCSE English literature course. Hence, I wanted to watch this film. To my surprise, the story is very because it is real and convincing. The two bipolar patients behave exactly like what people having a relapse behaves. Their highs and lows are realistically portrayed by the director and the acting talents. When the guy proclaims his love for manic relapses, it is almost heartbreaking to watch. It is unusual that a film can portray bipolar lives so accurately. I really like the fact that Kay Jamieson, the author of "The Unquiet Mind", has a cameo in the film as well. "Touched With Fire" is really a hidden gem.

• Moon and Sun

  ferguson-62016-02-19

  Greetings again from the darkness. We all have good days and bad. Sometimes we energetically leap from bed, while other days we barely muster the energy to push off the covers. For those who are bi-polar, those peaks and valleys are mere child's play. When "up", they often are filled with frenetic creativity and hyper-energy. When "down", life holds no purpose and the simplest daily actions are deemed impossible. Medication seems to be their only hope for "normal". Writer-director-editor-composer Paul Dalio admits much of the story comes directly from his life and that Carla and Marco carry much of him. Katie Holmes plays Carla and Luke Kirby (Take This Waltz, 2011) plays Marco … theirs one of the few on screen meet-cutes to occur in a psychiatric hospital (not counting McMurphy and Chief). When the pendulum swings, Carla frantically scrawls out poetry based on nature and feelings. Marco is also a poet – the rapping kind – but he seems more addicted to the energy and spirit that goes with being up. The film is really two-in-one … a star-crossed love story and a commentary on treatment (to medicate or not to medicate – that is the question). The writings and work of clinical psychologist Kay Redfield Jamison play a vital role here, and she even appears as herself in a critical scene. Carla really wants to get "right", especially when she discovers she is pregnant. Marco, on the other hand, spends much of his time trying to maintain the "high" as he finds life so much more fulfilling and interesting when not medicated. Marco uses the track record of many suspected bi-polar types as proof that greatness is near – Emily Dickinson, Tchaikovsky, and Van Gogh. Bradley Cooper was Oscar nominated for his bi-polar role in Silver Linings Playbook, and both movies pay some attention to the challenges faced by families. Carla's parents are played by Christine Lahti and Bruce Altman, while Griffin Dunne is Marco's dad. The best intentions often fail miserably, leaving all parties feeling frustrated and emotionally distraught. The movie seems to make the argument that medication is the only real hope if a sufferer wants to live anything approaching a normal life, and it's Ms. Jamison's stated contention that medication will neither change the personality nor negatively impact creativity. Katie Holmes offers up her best work since Pieces of April in 2000. Of course, there was a "marriage" mixed in there that stomped down her career. This role reminds that she is capable of finding the core of a deep character. Welcome back. Spike Lee is listed as a Producer here, and Mr. Dalio says Lee, who was his NYU Film School professor, encouraged him to explore this facet of his affliction. Dalio's wife Kristina Nikolova shared cinematographer duties with Alexander Stanishev. The film, previously entitled "Mania Days", does a nice job of showing us the extremism involved with being bi-polar, as well as the challenges that come from being part of the medical field or familial support staff.

• Honest, beautiful, heartbreaking

  eeva-pusa2016-08-06

  Touched With Fire, definitely not an easy watch at times, tells the story of two young poets falling in love while battling bipolar disorder. The cinematography can only be described as breathtaking, and the same could be said about the soundtrack. This film was truly a joy for the eyes and the ears. Katie Holmes and Luke Kirby were fantastic as the two patients, poets, lovers. The only thing that felt a bit off was the story - it felt slightly confusing at times, maybe moving a little fast? It might have felt like something was missing from the story, but the honesty and realness made up for it. Definitely worth the watch - while being a visual treat, Touched With Fire also opened my eyes to completely new aspects of mental illness.

• TOUCHED WITH FIRE movie 2015

  k-symeo2017-11-25

  i just saw the movie ..and i can deeply relate.. We're often told love is a form of madness.. and its true..BPD are people with third degree burns over 90% of their bodies. Lacking emotional skin, they feel agony at the slightest touch or movement.Having Borderline feels like eternal Hell. Never knowing how they going to feel from one minute to the next. Hurting because they hurt those people who they love.It is hard to be accused of manipulation when really it's a scream for love Believe me its hard to be in love with with a BPD person there are able to instantly drop all their feelings for somebody who meant the world to them moments before..] ..i can relate..i have been there.. They can crush your insides every time with cruel words and behavior .. but you know deep down they love you.. more than anyone else who's ever loved you ..

• Not an Easy Watch But Kept Me Engaged

  larrys32016-06-07

  Not an easy watch, and I'm sure not for everyone, this film takes an insightful look at bipolar disorder. I will say the movie opened my eyes to a number of aspects of the illness. Katie Holmes and Luke Kirby are both excellent in their lead roles here as Carla and Marco. They're both poets and have bipolar disorder, and while being treated at a mental hospital they form am instant chemistry. After their release, they will eventually try and start a relationship, despite all the hurdles and obstacles facing them and their parents fears and protestations. Carla and Marco throw away their meds, believing that allowing their manic phases to thrive will enhance their creativity. However, when Carla becomes pregnant with their child, they will each have to make decisions whether to continue on the wild ride they're on or start taking their meds again and stabilize. Filmmaker Paul Dalio. making his directorial debut here, has infused his own experiences with bipolar disorder into the movie. Plus, author and renowned psychologist Kay Jamison, who herself appears late in the film, discusses her battles with bipolar disorder with Carla and Marco. Jamison, in her book "Touched With Fire", has shown how many great artists and authors throughout history have suffered from this mental illness, including Hemingway, Tchaikovsky, Edgar Allen Poe, and Lord Byron (among many others). All in all, as mentioned, not an easy watch and not an escape film, but the movie, despite its rough spots, kept me engaged and interested enough to want to know how it would all play out. Plus, I learned quite a lot about bipolar disorder along the way.