Touched

There isn't a great deal of plot development in Touched, an awkward but appealing psychological drama that feels like it was produced ten years earlier than it actually was. Robert Hays plays an inmate at a mental institution who, convinced he's as normal as the next chap, escapes one day and finds employment at a carnival sideshow. He's in love with fellow inmate Jennifer (Kathleen Beller), who also breaks out of the funny farm and gets a job waiting tables. The two maintain a tenuous relationship and the film ends on a happy note that nearly defies belief. Nonetheless, there's something intriguing about Touched, which plays like a high quality television hybrid of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Carny. Even Ned Beatty, an actor I generally find irksome, manages to deliver a quality performance, and the New Jersey location footage is superbly lensed by cinematographer Fred Murphy (October Sky, Auto Focus). A pleasant surprise.