Touched With Fire

Parental Rating: R

Contains: Language    Nudity    Sex    Drug Use    Adult Content    

Jill's Review

Opens February 19, 2016

Runs 110 minutes

Carla (Katie Holmes) is a poet and she is also bi-polar. As she faces the onset of another manic episode, she visits the hospital to see if they can help her understand what triggered her condition. She ends up unwittingly checking herself into the hospital. There she meets Marco (Luke Kirby) another bi-polar patient. He prefers the wild manic ride of his affliction than the medicated dullness he says he feels. Slowy, they spend time together and eventually begin a romantic relationship that brings out the best and the worst in each other.

This is an interesting movie. It does a nice job of showing both the highs and the lows of being bi-polar. (It also makes reference to historical figures like Van Gogh and Emily Dickinson, who may have been bi-polar and whose condition may have contributed to their art.) Marco feels that medication tamps down his personality and his art. Carla isn't so sure. But, with Marco she feels the release and romance when they experience a "high" together. Things are not so great when they hit a "low". And, their episodes really affect their relationship with their families. This movie is a little hard to watch and you really feel for these characters. How much medication is the right amount? How much help can a family really provide to an adult with this disorder? A fascinating look at the disease. Apparently, it is loosely based on the director's (Paul Dalio) own struggle with being bi-polar. Luckily, he came out on the winning side and made a fine movie to help others see what it is like. Go see it.

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