Touch Me Not (2018)

Thanks to the art form of film, audiences can tap into the perspectives of women from around the world. Martin Scorsese described Belgian-born screenwriter and director Agnès Varda as “one of the Gods of Cinema” for her insightful flicks which include Cléo de 5 à 7 (1962), Vagabond (1985) and Faces Places (2017). Italian auteur Lina Wertmüller became the first Oscar-nominated woman for Best Director with Seven Beauties (1975) starring Giancarlo Giannini. And Chinese-born Chloé Zhao actually won for directing Nomadland (2020). Of course, we must mention Romanian filmmaker Adina Pintilie whose feature debut Touch Me Not (2018) won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival and a Golden Barge for Best Documentary at the Vukovar Film Festival. Not only does Adina write and direct the work, she also serves as the pic’s co-producer, editor and actress. Talk about being an over-achiever! That’s not to say we aren’t impressed with the onscreen presence of Georgi Naldzhiev. While Ms. Pintilie’s film blends fiction with facts, Mr. Naldzhiev engages us with a combination of his tattooed guns and bulging briefs. As the plot explores how people find intimacy through physical and emotional connections, we connect with the imagery of Georgi’s abs, ass, sack and shaft! Per his portrayal of a male escort, the dude undresses to make his privates public. He then gives himself a massage when he lays down and rubs his huge cock until it becomes hard. It’s almost as if the actor is daring us to Touch Him Not!