Touched with Fire Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Touched with Fire Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 13, 2016

Those blessed and/or cursed with huge amounts of creative artistry (in any medium) are often branded as being “unusual”, and sometimes stark raving mad. Virtually all major arts are littered with stories of titans who at the least evidenced behaviors outside the norm, and modern day psychoanalysts have attempted to pigeonhole various famous folks (e.g., Van Gogh) in various psychiatric niches. With the upshot of psychotropic drugs in the wake of World War II, “management” of so-called mental illness has supposedly become easier, but one of the interesting subtexts of Touched With Fire is how taking those medications often becomes a trial in and of itself for artistic types who don’t want their muses dampened with chemicals.

That subtext is one of the more compelling aspects to an at times fairly predictable tale of two wounded souls who fall in love under traumatic circumstances. Unlike other romances doomed by a fatal illness, however, Touched With Fire traffics in the ostensibly more “healable” issue of manic depression or bipolar disorder. Two promising writers, played by Katie Holmes and Luke Kirby, “meet cute” (in a manner of speaking, anyway) when both are institutionalized for various reasons. Touched With Fire succeeds as an actor’s showcase, offering great opportunities for its two stars, but as a narrative, it follows a tried and true path to a bittersweet ending that suggests that happily ever after may occasionally need a little pharmaceutical assist.

Touched with Fire Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Touched With Fire is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. The IMDb lacks any data on the video technologies utilized, but a rather interesting interview with director Paul Dalio I uncovered speaks to his relatively unusual choice to utilize both video and film for various sequences in this entry. While the look is therefore somewhat more heterogeneous than some videophiles might prefer, Dalio's subtextual (some might say subliminal) reasons for this gambit are rather well reasoned. The palette is often skewed toward a sort of syrupy yellow, but also exploits some deeper blue tones (Dalio based the palette at least in part on Van Gogh's Starry Night). Detail levels are somewhat variable (probably traceable to the various technologies utilized), but are generally quite commendable, especially in the many close-ups. Contrast is also generally solid, and there are no problems with image instability.

Touched with Fire Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Touched With Fire features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix which capably supports a few showy sonic moments while offering more nuanced reinforcement for quieter dialogue scenes. Ambient environmental effects (whether natural or manmade) offer consistent if subtle surround activity, and fidelity is fine throughout.

Touched with Fire Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Paul Dalio and Kristina Nikolova


• The Making of Touched With Fire (1080p; 9:23)


• A Conversation with Paul Dalio and Dr. Kay Jamison (1080p; 4:42)


• Deleted Scene (1080p; 1:33)


• Photo Gallery (1080p)


• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:23)

Touched with Fire Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Touched With Fire was evidently initially released under the title Mania Days, a moniker which might more appropriately describe the whirlwind madness that informs the fledgling relationship of the two focal characters. While the film never quite attains the emotional resonance it's obviously aiming for, the performances are top notch and Dalio (who evidently has a history with bipolar disorder himself) is a very interesting new talent. Technical merits are first rate and Touched With Fire comes Recommended.