Familiar Touch

As the new luminous film FAMILIAR TOUCH opens, we meet Ruth, an independent and self-assured octogenarian who is embarking on a journey of both mind and body. Her body is moving into a memory care facility. Her mind is evolving in ways that are hard for her family to understand. But as played by acclaimed actress Kathleen Chalfant, we vividly experience this journey through Ruth’s eyes. And Ruth is never lost. She just is where she is: in the moment.

Inspired by her experiences as a caretaker, writer-director Sarah Friedland has made a “coming of age story” and imbued FAMILIAR TOUCH with a spirit and depth that avoids the usual tropes that we associate with films about cognitive decline. Filmed almost entirely at a retirement community, which involved members and staff of the facility both behind and in front of the camera, FAMILIAR TOUCH feels “real” in a way that most films can only hope to achieve.

The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it was awarded the Best Director and Best Actress prizes, and it is now opening in theatres across the U.S.

We love this movie and are so happy that writer-director Sarah Friedland and actress Kathleen Chalfant were able to join us to talk about making FAMILIAR TOUCH. So sit back and join us for our conversation on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, starting now…

 Ruth (Kathleen Chalfant), a retired cook, prepares breakfast in her sunny and cozy kitchen — a dish she seems to have made many times before, although small and puzzling errors now punctuate her comfortable routine. When her son (H. Jon Benjamin) arrives to dine with her, she mistakes him for a suitor. Their “date” takes them to an assisted living facility, which Ruth does not remember that she had previously selected for herself. Among her fellow memory care residents, Ruth feels lost and adrift, certain she has found herself somewhere she does not belong.

As she slowly begins to accept the warmth and support of care workers Vanessa (Carolyn Michelle) and Brian (Andy McQueen), she finds new ways to ground herself in her body, even as her mind embarks on a journey all its own. Writer-director Sarah Friedland’s coming-of-old-age feature compassionately follows the winding path of octogenarian Ruth’s shifting memories and desires while remaining rooted in her sage perspective.