84. The Touch (Beröringen); movie review

THE TOUCH
Cert 15
108 mins
BBFC advice: Contains sexualised nudity, infrequent very strong language

The fact that beauty is in the eye of the beholder means that art grabs people in very different ways.
For example, Ingmar Bergman is regarded as one of world cinema's great directors but the more I watch his movies, the more I struggle to understand his fame.
During 2018, the BFI are celebrating the centenary of Bergman's birth by re-releasing his most famous films.
In the first week of the year, I was unimpressed by Persona but hoped that would be a one-off. But, not so - despite its all-star cast, I was also left unmoved by The Touch.
It stars Bibi Andersson as a bored housewife who begins a torrid affair with an exotic foreign archaeologist (Elliot Gould).
At first Gould's character seems to be hippy cool but as the movie progresses, the more possessive and demanding he becomes.
It turns out that his childhood background could explain his behaviour but that avenue is only touched upon briefly and struck me as a missed opportunity.
Nevertheless, despite his volatility, Andersson's Karin is besotted and seems to have little guilt about playing any from her surgeon husband (Max von Sydow).
I was left wondering why.
Is Bergman trying to point to Karin's ennui as a woman whose intelligence stretches beyond the few demands placed upon her as a housewife?
Is he trying to say that love is blind or love conquer's all?
Or is he attempting to explore the long-term effects of great trauma?
Who knows? He skirts around all of the above without getting to the heart of any of them.
As said, I am clearly missing Bergman's allure but I haven't given up hope of finally seeing what I missing - next up is The Magic Flute.

Reasons to watch: Fans of Ingmar Bergman will be in awe
Reasons to avoid: Its focus wasn't clear to me

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: Yes
Overall rating: 6/10

Director quote - Ingmar Bergman: "“I feel ashamed of or detest [only] a few of my films for various reasons. ‘This Can’t Happen Here’ was the first one; I completed it accompanied by violent inner opposition. The other is ‘The Touch.’ Both mark the very bottom for me.”

The big question: What qualifies a film to be considered a classic?

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