Fantasia Film Festival 2025 wound down over the weekend, and I have a recommendation to add to our Festival Frights page. Touch Me’s movie poster mesmerized me like a fly to a bug zapper. My face ached from the faces I was making while watching it. Days later, I still feel lingering, unsettling vibes from Touch Me. If you’re a fan of the strange and unusual or trippy, neon-colored tentacled sex, add Touch Me to your watchlist.
Touch Me is written and directed by Addison Heimann and stars Olivia Taylor Dudley and Jordan Gavaris as co-dependent friends Joey and Craig. Joey, get this, has no job and lives rent-free with her bestie. They are adorably close. Craig, in turn, lives off of generational wealth. Touch Me opens with a therapy session in which Joey recalls her strange encounter with a foreign man named Brian (played by Jordan Gavaris). It only gets weirder as it goes on.
The Poo Problem
Besties Joey and Craig are living it up when Craig’s plumbing calls it quits and sewage fills the bathroom. The job is expensive, and Craig’s dad offers to pay half, forcing Joey to get a job. Of course, she’s fired and they’re both left in their poo palace. Enter the mysterious stranger Joey met, Brian, tracksuit and all. He offers them a place to stay, and they are both instantly enamored with the man. Did I mention he has a roommate, Laura, played by Marlene Forte? She’s an incredible actress, but I didn’t care for her in this role.
Joey had a story, but yes, she was missing a lot. I felt like she needed more of everything. I can say as much about Craig. Much like Joey’s relationship with Craig, empty, and although I get this, it’s just been done too many times. I need more from a strong woman lead. I felt like I was two steps ahead, and I was waiting for the show for too long. However, I especially liked the dialogue when they shared stories of their own sexual trauma. The subject matter is quite weighty, and I found Touch Me’s approach to be intriguing.
Shit Hits the Fan
Those are all the boring details, but everything else I loved about Touch Me was exciting and enchanted me. Brian is a freakin’ alien! His touch induces a euphoric high, and he’s horny. He may want to take over the world, but he’s also attracted to both Joey and Craig. Moreover, he will be devouring some people.
There are a handful of movies that entranced me in this decade: Mandy, Titane, Color Out of Space, Strange Darling, and toss in The Untamed (La región salvaje) and Possession’s tentacled-alien sex. Touch Me Is right up there, and I have my eyes glued to the screen. It’s wild and absurd. Brian is an alien! Most awesomely, there are a handful of gnarly kills. That’s all I need to get my movie friends to watch it. Check out the rest of our lineup from Fantasia Film Festival 2025 on our Festival Frights page.
