Colin Farrell and Emma Fogarty give us serious friendship envy; there’s a certain tenderness and love there that makes our eyes fill up.
Emma, 41, lives with EB, which is a seriously painful condition, and as much as Colin is her rock, she is also his. If you cast your mind back to 2024, you’ll remember he completed the Dublin Marathon with her, pushing her in a wheelchair over the final 4km.
Well, Colin and Emma have made a documentary together, tracking that exact journey, and when we tell you it’s equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking, we’re not overselling it.
What is the documentary about?
The Slightest Touch is a ‘celebration of friendship, community, and extraordinary strength’.
It follows Emma Fogarty, now 41, who is the longest surviving person living with epidermolysis bullosa (EB), or ‘butterfly skin disease’.
Emma has been great friends with Hollywood actor Colin Farrell for over 16 years, and they took part in the Dublin Marathon together in 2024, with Colin pushing her in a wheelchair for the final 4km, 1km for every decade she has lived with EB.
The trailer for the upcoming doc begins with Colin leaving Emma a voice note, saying: ‘How are you doing, darling? I just wanted to leave you a little voice note. I know your dreams have been taken from you. I have a dream now to make this film together. We’ll speak soon. Alright, bye, love.’
‘I’m not winning at all, but you know me… Smile’s always on,’ Emma replies to him.
Reflecting on how taking part in the Dublin Marathon first came up, Colin says: ‘I said to her, “Oh, we should run a marathon someday” about two years ago. And then about a year later, I get a text from her, “You know when you said we should run a marathon”. I went, “F**k”.
Elsewhere in the trailer, Emma says: ‘I have EB. That means you deteriorate with age. Somehow, I’ve got to 40.’
On her birthday, Colin teases her over FaceTime: ‘Have they lined up the Prosecco?,’ to which she replies: ‘They better have!’
Emma reflects: ‘I got cancer twice, I lost my leg, I’ve an open wound on my bum… not to give too much information,’ before joking: ‘We’re not filming the bum, ok? It’s not that kind of movie.’
Colin admits: ‘I have never had a camera crew come near my home. The reason I’m here is the same reason you’re here: it’s for Emma. Just those three words: It’s for Emma. It’s for Emma. It’s for Emma.’
‘There will come a day when I will never be able to get out of bed again,’ Emma says.
Speaking about the Dublin Marathon, Colin says: ‘This could be very bad for her, but this means a lot to her. She doesn’t deserve the pain afterwards, but she deserves the experience, and you can’t have the one without the other.’
‘He’s got my back, I’ve got his. I think she makes the best out of everyone,’ Emma says. ‘All the things that I shouldn’t be doing, I love doing. You either live, or you die. And I want to live.’
Colin’s non-verbal son, James, who lives with Angelman syndrome, also makes an appearance in the documentary.
All in all, it seems like it’ll be a totally transfixing, uplifting, and heartbreaking watch.
What are people saying about the trailer?
After watching the trailer, one Instagram user wrote: ‘”This is for Emma”. Such a strong, resilient, extraordinary woman, and Colin Farrell [is] a lovely man. This is wonderful.’
Another commented: ‘Two very special fellow Irish. Proud of them both,’ as a third penned: ‘Amazing Emma! And Colin! Can’t wait to watch this inspirational documentary.’
Where can I watch The Slightest Touch?
The Slightest Touch premieres on HBO Max on Wednesday, November 25.
Watch the trailer for The Slightest Touch below:
