Colin Farrell and Emma Fogarty on The Slightest Touch

The Slightest Touch follows Emma Fogarty and Colin Farrell towards the Dublin Marathon, capturing the pain and humour of everyday life, and a friendship built over 15 years.

A new documentary featuring campaigner Emma Fogarty and actor Colin Farrell had its world premiere as part of the Dublin International Film Festival on Saturday, with DIFF describing The Slightest Touch as a film that follows Fogarty's life with epidermolysis bullosa (EB) and the friendship between her and Farrell.

The film begins as Fogarty turns 40, "an age doctors once said she would never reach", and follows her taking up an offer from Farrell as they agree to complete the Dublin Marathon together, with Farrell pushing Fogarty's wheelchair for the final four kilometres.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1’s The Brandon O’Connor Show, Fogarty described EB, sometimes known as butterfly skin, in plain, unsparing terms. "My skin is as fragile as the wings of a butterfly," she said, explaining how minor contact can cause blistering or tearing.

Fogarty told O'Connor, "80% of my body is covered in bandages", and that underneath are "open wounds that compare to third-degree burns by doctors".

"There are no words for how painful it is," she added.

Fogarty also spoke about outliving early expectations, recalling what her parents were told when she was born. "They told my parents, she won’t live a week and it’ll be better off if she didn’t," she said, adding: "How cruel is that?"

Asked about her dreams growing up, Fogarty said: "Honestly, to prove everyone wrong," describing a drive for independence, education and work, even as EB became more limiting over time. "EB calls the shots," she said, speaking about how unpredictable pain and flare-ups can dictate what’s possible day to day.

Farrell, meanwhile, pushed back against any framing of the project as celebrity charity. "It’s no sympathy thing. It’s no charity at all," he said, stressing that their friendship has been in place for 14 or 15 years, long before a documentary was ever discussed.

He also described the production as an unscripted, small-scale process. "There was no script," Farrell said, describing what emerged as "a collection of conversations we had and thoughts that we shared", with the marathon acting as a natural end point.

Farrell, who has two sons, James and Henry, also spoke about his eldest son James who lives with Angelman syndrome and features in the documentary.

Farrell described how fatherhood influenced his life and sobriety. Discussing when he entered a 12-step programme in 2005 for addiction and the idea of a "higher power", Farrell said he needed "to look to something outside of myself for both strength and guidance."

"James represented that in my life," Farrell said and described him as "one of the happiest human beings I know."