Writer-director Paul Dalio’s latest is “Touched With Fire,” starring Katie Holmes and Luke Kirby as two manic depressives whose encroaching and untreated illnesses bring them together before threatening to tear them apart.
READ MORE: Roadside Attractions Acquires ‘Touched With Fire’ Starring Katie Holmes
Holmes stars as Carla, a poet whose insomnia and obsessions compound her disorder, leading to feverish writing sessions and increasingly dissociative behavior. Kirby is Marco, an underground rapper who refuses to medicate his bipolar disorder in order to fuel his artistry.
When the two land in the same hospital, they slowly grow closer, but they soon find that their combined manic episodes and artistic struggles have as much potential for danger as they do beauty.
The film originally premiered at SXSW under the initial title “Mania Days.” Executive produced by Spike Lee, “Touched by Fire” looks to be a thoughtful exploration of mental illness. The film will open February 12.
Watch the frenzied trailer above.
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