Familiar Touch
Reviews
Brent Marchant
Age-related memory loss can be a harrowing, debilitating experience not only for the individuals suffering from it, but also for their families, friends and associates. And, in this superb new release, such is the fate faced by 88-year-old Ruth Goldman (expertly portrayed by Kathleen Chalfant), a remarkably spry, intelligent, creative and physically active woman who appears to be on top of things except when it comes to her fading memory. She has moments when she seems perfectly lucid, as well as a reasonably good grasp of her long-term recall, but her short-term recollection has been failing fast, reaching the point where she doesn’t even recognize her son Steve (H. Jon Benjamin) as her own child. These faltering conditions have thus necessitated a change: Since she’s increasingly incapable of taking proper care of herself at home, Ruth is being relocated to a long-term care facility for the memory-impaired. It’s a transition that takes her by surprise despite the fact that she and Steve had toured the home previously and decided that this is where she should go when she’s no longer fit to attend to her own needs. Writer-director Sarah Friedland’s second feature outing thus proceeds to follow Ruth’s experiences in her new residence, including her diverse interactions with her primary caregiver, Vanessa (Carolyn Michelle), her resident physician, Brian (Andy McQueen), the jovial and accommodating dining room chef (Mike G.), and other facility residents, such as the perky and vivacious Pearl (Joahn Webb). This deftly crafted character study examines the various states of mind that the memory-impaired can go through, as well as the array of reactions that they experience in coming to terms with their circumstances. In telling Ruth’s story, the filmmaker expertly shows, rather than tells, viewers what the protagonist is undergoing, driving home the impact of what this heartbreaking condition can yield. At the same time, though, the picture also celebrates all of the little victories that can occur in the course of caring for a patient like Ruth. In addition, the film pays a fitting tribute to the exceptional caregivers who work tirelessly with the afflicted, especially when it comes to the patience and sensitivity that they’re expected to exhibit in their daily care routines. This offering also shows the tremendous levels of compassion and understanding associated with this kind of work, particularly when it comes to frankly but tactfully explaining how caregivers and their patients are each experiencing fundamentally different truths when it comes to the nature of their respective realities, a calling that requires being honest and forthright while simultaneously exhibiting a degree of mutual respect, tolerance and acceptance that many of us may find challenging to willingly extend. While this release admittedly begins to slow somewhat as it progresses, it generally holds audience interest well without becoming schmaltzy, manipulative or predictable, quite a feat in a story like this, which could easily fall prey to these traits if left in lesser-skilled hands. For its efforts, “Familiar Touch” has been generously rewarded with numerous award nominations and wins at various film festivals, as well as the 2025 Independent Spirit Awards’ Someone To Watch Award for the director. As the population continues to grow old and more of us (especially children of the aged) are left to address scenarios like this, this production presents an excellent look at what those affected might be up against, making for an engaging and informative watch, one that could provide insights that make a difference when the time comes to make the hard decisions of how to care for those who are no longer able to care for themselves.
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