A married woman, Fei Fei (played by the film’s writer/director Aleksandra Szczepanowska), is trying desperately to get the papers to stay in China with her wealthy husband, Zhang Hua (Jun Yang) and her son Mo Mo (Beckhan). Feeling out of place by her husband and the country’s culture, she notes that the Chinese are not known for touching at a tango class she runs, even with a handshake. This need for connection leads her to start an affair with a blind masseur Bai Yu (Yuan Jiangwei). Unfortunately, when Fei Fei decides to call time on the extramarital fun, Bai Yu finds it hard to accept and starts turning up unexpectedly.

With her directorial debut, Szczepanowska crafts a confused picture of a character in search of her place in the world is left facing a dangerous outcome from her actions. Unfortunately, Zhang Hau isn’t what he seems either, adding an extra layer of tension in an already volatile situation.

There are soft-focus scenes of coupling that would not look out of place in a ‘70s Emmanuelle film, but nothing is shown explicitly. The blind Bai Yu finds his confidence with Fei Fei, making it more believable that he would not want to let go of the feeling she has brought him. The often unsteady camerawork of Wei Ji is unsettling but draws us further into Fei Fei’s nightmare.

While Touch occasionally shows the usual trappings of obsessive, neo-noir type cinema, there’s enough uniqueness to recommend it, even if you’ll have more questions than answers by the end.

Touch is available now on Prime Video.