The premiere of Touch offered Sydney Film Festival goers one of those more special festival moments. With the key cast in attendance for a Q & A, along with a host of Australia’s premier acting talent there to support their peers, it was clear what this little film meant to our industry.

Leeanna Walsman gives a powerful performance as a desperate mum on the run, and young newcomer Onor Nottle also impresses. The stunning beauty of the Adelaide hills acts in strange juxtaposition to the horror that has beset the characters.

After a violent encounter, a mother (Walsman) and her young daughter (Nottle) are frantically driving through the Adelaide hills, looking for a safe place to spend a night or two while laying low.

Following them is a man (Matt Day)—a former police officer—who seems determined to hunt them down. It’s not certain what his motives are, but it’s clear that he is not giving up.

Throughout this tense and emotional mystery, the close bond between mother and daughter is revealed through some touching scenes together. While a lot is unclear, it is clear that this mother will do anything she needs to, to keep her little girl safe; even entertaining the advances of a sleazy local cop.

It’s a tight drama that’s gratifyingly gripping, with a resolution that will stay with you long after the credits roll. To say any more would be to spoil a rare and unexpected conclusion.

The film is hoping to secure a general release date later this year. We hope it does so, too, because it would be a terrible shame for Australian audiences to miss out on this quality independent production.

Touch is a tense thriller with a very unique twist that really does touch you. If you don’t catch it at this year’s Sydney Film Festival, be sure to keep an eye out for it.

Directed by: Christopher Houghton
Starring: Leeanna Walsman, Onor Nottle, Matt Day
Rating: TBC
Release Date: Showing at Sydney Film Festival
Reviewer rating: 4/5