The Touch

Elliott Gould joins Ingmar Bergman regulars Bibi Andersson and Max von Sydow in this neglected classic from the great director, about infidelity and a toxic love triangle.

Karin (Bibi Andersson), a happily married mother of two, surprises herself by responding in-kind to an unforeseen profession of love from David (Elliott Gould), an archaeologist visiting Sweden, whom her doctor husband (Max von Sydow) has befriended. But love, however toxically exhilarating, is seldom simple, and deceit and David’s volatile temperament take their toll.

Due to dubbed prints and mixed reviews, The Touch all but disappeared for decades. Now, with this new restoration of Bergman’s preferred Swedish/English cut, the psychological precision of Bergman’s script and the subtlety and intensity of the performances can be properly appreciated, along with the evocative autumnal colours of Sven Nykvist’s burnished camerawork. Utterly compelling; a revelation.