CheerupSilver Very Cool!!!

Lawbolisted Powerful

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

kz917-1 Ugh. Good actors. Great idea to really put the viewer into the manic emotions that the characters are experiencing. Something never quite clicked. I enjoyed the backstory involving Van Gogh's Starry Night - but that was about it. At the end I'm still confused - did the movie start at the end? So many questions. I think though, that may have been part of the point to confuse...

Sam Cotten As much as I wish I could, it would not be fair to give this film a higher rating than I have, the reason being that I understand why it is completely impossible for the vast majority of viewers to ever find this film as moving as I do. Those of us who are members of the elite craft that Marco mentions all see this movie through a completely different lens than those who do not live every day of our lives with this thing that can be just as accurately categorized as an illness as a gift.Paul Dalio, writer, director, editor and composer of this film, has been through the experience of being hospitalized with a manic episode and subsequently diagnosed and medicated. Using his artistic gift for film making, he has created a story that attempts to show the world what it's like to experience life with bipolar disorder. It is a very nice story that does a good job of deeply exploring the subject matter. However, although he clearly has a gift for storytelling, Dalio's attempt creates something that may be difficult or impossible for most of his audience to relate to. Those of us with bipolar have the same experience when watching this movie as the boomer generation has when watching Forrest Gump - constantly saying to ourselves, "Wow, yeah, I remember that." Everyone else sees something very different, and I could easily understand if the majority of people who see this movie either don't understand it or find it mediocre.It may be a while before the world is really ready for this movie. Psychology is still a fairly new subject that has only been studied in depth by more than just a few people for the last sixty years or so. I do hope the day will soon come when bipolar disorder will be much better understood by everybody. If that day ever does arrive, then and only then will this movie ever become the classic that I believe it deserves to be.

princessleah-597-208494 Wow. How did I miss hearing about this movie? In the past, Katie Holmes has been hit and miss with her acting mainly due to miscasting, but here she is spot on---watch closely. Great to see her giving a masterful performance. The acting alone by both Holmes and Luke Kirby kept me watching to the end. Subject matter is a bit of a downer but fascinatingly portrayed. (Although not the focus of the plot, the movie illustrates what daily lives of people suffering from manic-depressive disorder can be like, both from trying to hold down jobs to their uncontrollable thirst for highs. And the movie succeeds in showing how even psychologically unbalanced individuals are able to fall in love.) It's the best movie on manic-depressive disorder since 'Mr. Jones' (Richard Gere, Lena Olin--which I also highly recommend for the acting!). I hope Holmes is recognized for her excellent work here.

Gordon-11 This film tells the story of a man and a woman who meet each other in a psychiatric ward in a hospital. They bond over poetry and other artistic aspects, yet they trigger each other's manic illness that naturally causes much concern to the people around them."Touched With Fire" is the name of a poetry book that I had to study in my GCSE English literature course. Hence, I wanted to watch this film. To my surprise, the story is very because it is real and convincing. The two bipolar patients behave exactly like what people having a relapse behaves. Their highs and lows are realistically portrayed by the director and the acting talents. When the guy proclaims his love for manic relapses, it is almost heartbreaking to watch. It is unusual that a film can portray bipolar lives so accurately. I really like the fact that Kay Jamieson, the author of "The Unquiet Mind", has a cameo in the film as well. "Touched With Fire" is really a hidden gem.