Where Hands Touch

I found myself looking at it and liking certain parts, but I didn't get emotionally swept up...but it great that the film happened, in itself there's a sense of relief and triumph there...

It's a fascinating take on the horrors of World War II and one that confirms [Amandla] Stenberg as one of the most accomplished rising stars of her generation.

If Asante's idea is that Nazi ideology poisoned bright young minds into viewing their fellow citizens as less than human, the lovey-dovey bond she's pushing as the main event seems even more implausible.

The film gives us elements of melodrama and also of epic - yet there is also something a little uncomfortable about it.

Where Hands Touch is ultimately let down by a deeply contrived narrative and tone-deaf melodramatic style which only serves to diminish the importance and urgency of the real life stories behind Assante's screenplay.

While Asante's earlier films were grounded in reality and successfully linked the problems facing their protagonists to contemporary aspects of racism, Where Hands Touch seems unduly contrived.

Where Hands Touch still manages to be a well-acted historical drama that depicts World War II from a different point of view. It also retains the same theme of finding your identity that Amma Asante has demonstrated in her previous work.

It is Leyna's relationship with her mother (and her own identity) that is perhaps the most moving aspect of the film. Amandla Stenberg gives a fantastic performance here as a young woman who is struggling to find her place in the world.

Possibly with a different screenwriter, or even a different cast, Where Hands Touch might have been something truly great. Unfortunately, as it is, it's very middle ground fare that neither moves, engages, or informs - it simply exists.

While Where Hands Touch has its tender moments, and manages to draw some teary eyes, its central romance becomes more outlandish as the film progresses, becoming borderline distasteful.