Human Touch

Paul Cox's new film deals with the immediacy of human relationships, and is contrasted with images and ideas of the infinite. There are scenes of both an artists rendering of catacombs with chicken wire and lights, and later in the film actual Million Year old caves which are breathtaking in the power of their images.
Anna and her boyfriend David do not have sexual relations in thier partnership any more and are looking for was to rekindle both the erotic and the intimate. He seeks an anonymous encounter at a massage parlour. She finds a rich potential sponsor of her choir who takes nude photographs of her. This causes further breakdown in Anna and David's relationship. They take a trip to France for one last attempt to pick up the pieces.
One thing about Paul Cox's films is his ability to delicately capture nudity. I cannot think of another filmmaker that does this quite as well. This film shares on the surface anyway, many touches from his earlier film "Man of Flowers". But it is far more about the girl than the fella this time.
There is a lot of real ground covered in how men and women percieve intimacy and the differences in how they express thier frustration when things aren't working.
An excellent film to start the festival.