Familiar Touch

I had the pleasure of seeing this at the Venice Film Festival, where I could feel the audience's captivation with the film. I found the central concept of a "coming of (old) age" film to be compelling, new, and beautifully handled. Friedland's directing is subtle, precise. Kathleen Chalfant's performance is completely astonishing, and the pairing of director and actor felt really, really right: a scene where Chalfant simply walks down the hallway transforms (with a few key choices of lighting, editing) into something completely magical. The care and love with which the film handles even minor characters was moving. Friedland conveys so much, so deeply through quiet, deceptively simple moments. A new director to watch!

Every so often, a film comes along that feels like it's been cobbled together from bits and pieces of other movies you've seen. Familiar Touch is exactly that kind of film: a tedious, uninspired, and ultimately forgettable cinematic experience. It's a movie that tries to pass off well-worn tropes and lazy storytelling as something meaningful, but what we're left with is a film that drags from start to finish. Though there are moments of decent acting, they are undermined by a woefully predictable script and direction that feels more like an afterthought. A major flaw of Familiar Touch lies in its direction, which is as lifeless as the script. The pacing is uneven at best and downright agonizing at worst. Scenes that should be brief and punchy are unnecessarily drawn out, while more significant moments are rushed, leaving no room for emotional impact or character development. It's clear the director is unsure of how to create a compelling scene. Attempts at building emotional resonance often result in awkward silences and overlong shots that add nothing but time to an already dragging runtime.

Furthermore, the camera work is flat and uninspired. There's a sense that the director was going through the motions without a clear vision or understanding of cinematic language. Close-up shots, meant to capture intimate or intense moments, feel overused and invasive, while wide shots of supposedly scenic backdrops lack any visual flair or symbolic depth. Even scenes that are intended to create tension-whether through dramatic confrontations or quiet moments of introspection-feel stale and without energy. Ultimately, Familiar Touch is a forgettable film that fails in almost every way. The direction is uninspired, the script is derivative, and the pacing is excruciatingly slow. While the cast does its best to salvage something from the wreckage, their performances are not enough to overcome the film's many shortcomings. It's one of those movies that leaves you wondering how it was made in the first place-why no one along the production line noticed the glaring problems and took steps to fix them.

A short and beautiful film about aging, care, and what endures as memory fades. Kathleen Chalfant's careful and precise starring performance guides us through the nuances of what memory loss and senility does and does not destroy.

Ruth is a retired cook and widow who, as the film begins, is still nearly able to live independently. When her son (a delightful and grounded H Jon Benjamin) moves her into an elder care facility, we watch Ruth accept her illness, form relationships, and come to terms with the life she has lived. As each scene revealed a new facet of Ruth's personality, I became only more interested in learning about her life, and tried to accept how little I could ever really know.

A wonderful way to spend 90 minutes thinking about what it's like to be a human being.

I had the great pleasure of seeing "Familiar Touch" at the Venice Biennale and I was blown away by Friedland's self-assured directing and beautiful cinematography. Each frame is carefully wrought with the most exquisite light. There's no rush in the unraveling of the story; it's patient, quiet, and true-to-life. Chalfant's performance is masterful. I could not take my eyes off her. She is at the top her craft, never missing a beat, never giving us a false note. The manner she inhabits the character is remarkable: with total honesty and commitment. I offer my deepest congratulations to the filmmaker, actors, and crew.

Writer-director Sarah Friedland has accomplished an extraordinary character portrait of an older woman entering a new chapter in her life, experiencing "a coming of age" we haven't seen before on the big screen. Memory loss and dementia is often described and presented as tragedy but what "Familiar Touch" shows us is that appreciation for beauty, sensual joy, creative discovery, and abundant humor persist. Lead actress Kathleen Chalfant is luminous in the role, capable of conveying the quicksilver changes of her character's circumstances with enormous grace and subtlety. I look forward to seeing the film again; this is a story that asks (and deserves) our careful attention and open hearts.