Familiar Touch is a coming-of-old-age story that follows an octogenarian woman’s transition to life in assisted living as she contends with her conflicting relationship to herself and her caregivers amidst her shifting memory, age identity, and desires.
The Garden Cinema View:
Sarah Friedland's debut is a poised and elegant portrait of a retired chef navigating life as dementia gradually reshapes her world. It is an empathetic (yet unsentimental) depiction of both the comedy and the sadness of the situation - for the person experiencing it and for those who love them. All aspects of it - grief, confusion, embarrassment - are handled with great nuance, avoiding the melodramatic writing that such subject matter so often invites. Despite moments of acute embarrassment, Ruth is never reduced to a victim - the film preserves her pride and dignity throughout, and never loses sight of her own perspective.
The greatest strengths of Familiar Touch are the sensitive and intelligent performance by Kathleen Chalfant and the cinematography by Gabe Elder who, unconventinally, ‘takes’ the protagonist's side, framing her with warmth and empathy - a testament to the craft and care put into the project.
