TOUCH ME

TOUCH ME

Romance, toxic relationships, and sex with an alien

We begin in a therapist’s office. Joey — a woman permanently stuck at a crossroads, armed with OCD, a lifetime of childhood trauma, and a desperate hunger for love — confesses to her psychologist about a quick fling with a sexy alien. His touch delivers otherworldly ecstasy and is as addictive as heroin. And in a tracksuit, he looks just as dashing as he does without one, bearing a suspicious resemblance to a certain carpenter from Nazareth.

It’s hard to resist him — something Joey soon learns, as does her gay best friend and roommate, Craig, with whom she lives in a toxic, co-dependent web of manipulation. When a plumbing apocalypse forces them to move out, where else would they crash but at the alien’s mansion? Long sessions of cosmic intimacy soothe their anxieties, but there’s a catch: the alien is a narcissist of the worst kind. Oh, and he probably plans to destroy the world — though Joey and Craig, drunk on intergalactic lust, can’t quite be bothered to care.

“Touch Me” is a delightfully unhinged body horror infused with dark comedy, featuring striking practical effects (the alien’s natural form will stay in your mind whether you want it to or not) and a sharp satirical commentary on relationships, desire, and our addiction to external validation. The polyamorous relationship between two damaged friends and a sex-charged narcissist from another galaxy becomes, in director Addison Heimann’s hands, a story about how trauma weakens us and makes us susceptible to manipulation — especially when the manipulator whispers: “I love you.”

Spotlight on Olivia Taylor Dudley (“The Magicians”), who delivers a quietly powerful performance, carrying the psychological weight of Joey’s journey while remaining stoic amid the chaos and gore that dominate the film’s second half. And Lou Taylor Pucci is a revelation as the alien — exuding charisma, dangerous charm, and unrestrained sexuality, reminding viewers of that ex they’d rather forget.

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.