Where Hands Touch


Where Hands Touch is a 2018 British romantic war drama film directed and written by Amma Asante and starring Amandla Stenberg, George MacKay, Abbie Cornish, Christopher Eccleston, and Tom Sweet.
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2018. It was released theatrically in the United States on 14 September 2018 by Vertical Entertainment.

Synopsis

The film is a rite-of-passage story of a biracial teenage girl falling in love with a member of the Hitler Youth and struggling for survival in Nazi Germany. The protagonist, Leyna, is portrayed as a German nationalist, and somewhat antisemitic. Lutz is the son of a high ranking SS officer, and is initially an enthusiastic member of the Hitler Youth.
After Leyna and Lutz fall in love, she becomes pregnant. However, she gets sent to a Nazi labour camp where she must keep her pregnancy secret. Lutz is also stationed at the camp as an SS guard. After a bombing by the Americans, he attempts to escape with Leyna but he is killed by his father. Leyna, shocked, stays still on the ground until an American soldier comes to take her. Seven weeks later, she is heavily pregnant and she is in the displaced area where she reunites with her mother and brother.

Cast

on the film began in November 2016 and wrapped up in December 2016 after shooting took place in Belgium and the Isle of Man.

Release

On 20 May 2017, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions acquired the international distribution rights to the film, excluding select territories in Europe and Australia. It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2018. It was released in the United States on 14 September 2018 by Vertical Entertainment.

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 40%, based on 47 reviews, with an average rating of 5.34/10. The website's consensus reads, "Where Hands Touch is noteworthy for its exploration of a little-discussed corner of World War II, even if its story leaves something to be desired in the telling." The film received criticism for romanticization of Nazis and fetishism of black women.