Written and directed by leading actress Parvinder Shergill, co-directed by Leif Johnson and co-written by Juggy Sohal. Deep (Parvinder Shergill) is hoping for a fresh start when she comes across an amateur fencing club. Not all of the members are quick to accept a newcomer with no experience, but she soon discovers a natural talent and an unexpected friendship. Also starring: Matthew Lewis, Kayleigh-Paige Rees, Nina Wadia, Paul Chowdhry, Steven Pinder, Shazia Mirza and narrated by Stephen Fry.
The idea behind Touché feels very classically British, following in the footsteps of many other comedies to tackle classism, family and prejudice. Not to mention that of course the filmmakers are also employing the quintessential underdog story. Something that’s then reflected in the tone of the writing, it’s a traditionally British sense of humour. It’s exaggerated, loves a coincidence, has a dab of sarcasm and feels a little bit like it should come with a laugh track or a ba dum tss. It doesn’t have a light touch so if that sort of comedy isn’t for you, you might struggle a bit with this one.
Being heavy-handed or clashing does become an issue for Touché. Especially in the opening as its drawn out opening credits sequence feel entirely at odds with the tone it’s trying to create. They’re slow and unnecessary so when they’re then met with a narration from Stephen Fry that feels entirely pulled from his time on The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, it’s a little confusing. It’s a shame as if the film had chosen to go down that route of quirky, zany, colourful comedy, it could have worked really well.
The story struggles to get going, it doesn’t flow smoothly and has a distracting penchant for montages topped with pop songs. The choice of music is another element which never quite feels natural for Touché, a lot of the songs overwhelm the scenes or give them an artificial edge. That’s also something that comes from using the posh girl versus working class lass trope, it can be a bit forced and farcical. However, when Parvinder Shergill’s Deep is put together with Matthew Lewis’ Tom, there’s a spark of something different.
The strongest element of Touché’s story is the connection between Deep and Tom, it brings an authentic touch, and there’s a sweetness to their friendship. It also helps to bring down the energy, as it can often veer into soap opera territory, whereas between the two of them there’s a nice banter and honesty. That’s then nicely complemented by Deep finding a mentor in Steven Pinder’s Stefan, it brings out her caring side, and that cheesy, sentimental nature to their connection is charming.
Touché has a very classic concept, an underdog story, a rebellious yet vulnerable protagonist, and a chance to break out from the negative cycle she’s found herself in. However, its sense of humour and tone feel too stuck in the past, built for an older audience with a taste for old-school sitcoms and soap operas. It also has some issues with the quality of the audio and editing which could use some finessing. Ultimately, it has lovely intentions, its roots are firmly in British comedy, and it has a big heart, but it feels too farcical, employs a few too many clichés, and plagues itself with endless pop songs. It almost feels like it wants to do with fencing, what Polite Society did with martial arts, but can’t quite live up to that level of vivacity and personality.
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