Where Hands Touch
Award-winning filmmaker Amma Asante (Belle) directs Amandla Stenberg (The Hate U Give) in this story of a bi-racial teen struggling for survival in Nazi Germany.
"Rudesheim, the Rhineland, 1944. Lenya (Stenberg) has come of age during the chaos of war. Her mother (Abbie Cornish) has done her best to protect Lenya, but the racist credo of National Socialism has rendered her a pariah for the colour of her skin. Yet youthful ardour can bloom in the most unlikely places: Lenya is in love with Lutz (George MacKay), a young Nazi. Lutz toes the party line when it comes to antisemitism yet remains drawn to Lenya despite Nazi revulsion at the thought of a Black German. When that revulsion escalates to direct threat to her survival, Lenya and Lutz must face the seemingly inevitable outcome of their impossibly fraught romance." (Toronto International Film Festival)
- Director:
- Amma Asante ('A Way of Life', 'A United Kingdom', 'Belle')
- Writer:
- Amma Asante
- Cast:
- Amandla StenbergGeorge MacKayAbbie CornishChristopher EcclestonAlec NewmanWill Attenborough Gunter
Reviews & comments
An eyeopening film that adds to what we knew about Nazi Germany, but falls short in the final act
Amandla Stenberg really likes her political movies. With The Hate U Give having come out earlier this year (which looked at modern-day police oppression against the black community in the United States), Where Hands Touch showcases that same oppressive nature back further to the 1940s during World War II Germany. Where Hands Touch is a close-up look at the...
Variety
pressStenberg carries the magnetism she brought to her breakthrough role in the YA romance "Everything, Everything," but she's betrayed by a stilted rendering of a rarely illuminated piece of history.
The Guardian
pressIt's a film entirely devoid of subtlety yet one that also fails to provide the grand emotion it yearns to deliver, despite the use of a sledgehammer.
Stuff
pressDramatically it's a mixed bag, but Where Hands Touch does offer some moments of magic.
Screen Daily
pressThe soft-focus romanticism, soaring music cues and use of slow-motion all mute the impact of a potentially harrowing true story.
Los Angeles Times
pressAsante usually excels at sharing stories audiences haven't seen before, so it's unfortunate that this one feels so dully familiar.
Hollywood Reporter
pressThroughout, Asante raises questions about bravery, conscience and, most of all, identity.
Variety
pressStenberg carries the magnetism she brought to her breakthrough role in the YA romance "Everything, Everything," but she's betrayed by a stilted rendering of a rarely illuminated piece of history.
The Guardian
pressIt's a film entirely devoid of subtlety yet one that also fails to provide the grand emotion it yearns to deliver, despite the use of a sledgehammer.
Stuff
pressDramatically it's a mixed bag, but Where Hands Touch does offer some moments of magic.
Screen Daily
pressThe soft-focus romanticism, soaring music cues and use of slow-motion all mute the impact of a potentially harrowing true story.
Los Angeles Times
pressAsante usually excels at sharing stories audiences haven't seen before, so it's unfortunate that this one feels so dully familiar.
Hollywood Reporter
pressThroughout, Asante raises questions about bravery, conscience and, most of all, identity.
An eyeopening film that adds to what we knew about Nazi Germany, but falls short in the final act
Amandla Stenberg really likes her political movies. With The Hate U Give having come out earlier this year (which looked at modern-day police oppression against the black community in the United States), Where Hands Touch showcases that same oppressive nature back further to the 1940s during World War II Germany. Where Hands Touch is a close-up look at...
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