62
Metascore
17 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenTouched With Fire is an actor’s field day, and both Mr. Kirby and Ms. Holmes boldly meet the challenge of playing bright, high-strung artists struggling with depression.
- 70Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlVillage VoiceAlan ScherstuhlWith high spirits and great tenderness, Dalio and his actors stir up what might be the greatest of youthful feelings: that as you get to know someone new, someone whose thinking rhymes with yours, you're also becoming ever more yourself.
- 70VarietyJoe LeydonVarietyJoe LeydonPotent performances by stars Katie Holmes and Luke Kirby, strong contributions by well-cast supporting players and an overall sense of understated verisimilitude offset the predictable aspects of the narrative.
- 70Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshLos Angeles TimesKatie WalshWriter-director Dalio has firsthand experience with bipolar disorder, and his perspective sheds fresh light on the unique ways in which manic-depressive individuals experience love and creativity.
- 63RogerEbert.comSusan WloszczynaRogerEbert.comSusan WloszczynaIn her latest film Touched With Fire, she (Holmes) delivers a beautifully understated and moving performance.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe film embraces ambiguity in the end, with a coda that places Marco and Carla on the same level but not in the same place. The scene's unsettled but peaceful mood seems an honest reflection of its characters' lives.
- 50Slant MagazineElise NakhnikianSlant MagazineElise NakhnikianThe film is a thinly dramatized series of arguments against, then ultimately in favor of the medication of bipolar disorder.
- 50New York PostSara StewartNew York PostSara StewartThis well-intentioned drama — writer/director Paul Dalio has spoken publicly about his own struggles — veers into a common pitfall of films that portray mental illness: Romanticizing it.
- 50The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerThe A.V. ClubJesse HassengerYet as personal, well-performed, and sometimes lyrical as this material is, Dalio also has a peculiar way of making it all play like a public service announcement—like a feature commissioned for a mental-wellness convention.
- 50The PlaylistKimber MyersThe PlaylistKimber MyersUnlike its protagonists, Touched with Fire never reaches either impressive highs or awful lows. It’s a film that is capably made in most respects, particularly in its acting and visuals, but it’s not truly successful.