Familiar Touch (2025)
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Director: Sarah Friedland Run Time: 90 min. Rating: NR Release Year: 2025
Starring: Andy McQueen, Carolyn Michelle, H. Jon Benjamin, Kathleen Chalfant, London Garcia
Country: United States
Language: English
About the film:
“Familiar Touch reveals itself to be less about the agonies of change than in the concessions we make to feel closer to our loved ones and ourselves.” – Beatrice Loayza, The New York Times
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.
About the filmmaker:
Sarah Friedland is an American director and choreographer. Her 2024 debut feature film, Familiar Touch, premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, where she won the Orizzonti section’s Best Director award and the film won the Luigi de Laurentis Lion of the Future award for best debut feature.
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