Cuddle

Interesting but too long, filmmaker Jason O'Brien's documentary Cuddle examines the rising “cuddle” movement, along with related therapies and business practices. The phenomenon began in the U.S. as a well-meaning effort to bring human touch into the lives of more people, eventually leading to “cuddle groups” and “cuddle parties” that were directed by therapists who created safe boundaries and key words to prevent abuse. The idea took off, and soon entire practices built around paid cuddle time opened up, leading to government suspicion that a fine line might exist between paying someone to hold a client and soliciting for prostitution. Still, new iterations continue to appear, as well as more codified techniques and the usual entrepreneurs who smell potential profit. Unfortunately, the documentary is padded out with boring amateur video of people getting, well, cuddled. A strong optional purchase. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)