I Was Completely Blown Away By This Carefully Crafted Drama That Defies All Expectations

Despite the slower pace, Familiar Touch delivers a powerful, intentional, and deeply human message. From the direction to the casting, and the choices to stretch seemingly unimportant scenes to a breaking point, this film creates something that transcends a simple story and transports us into the circumstances that play out onscreen. It’s carefully crafted and spectacularly emotional.

Ruth (Kathleen Chalfant) has led a rich and full life, but when her memory begins to shift and betray her, the time comes for her to move into an assisted living facility. Throughout the film, we observe the unique strengths and struggles Ruth experiences as she comes to terms with her reality each day. However, her condition makes it particularly challenging to hold on to reality after she has grasped it anew.

Familiar Touch Is A Carefully Crafted Stroke Of Brilliance

Familiar Touch serves as the directorial debut for Sarah Friedland, who also wrote the film. Friedland’s vision is exceptional and brought vividly to life. The director’s vision is aided by the stellar performances of the cast, with Kathleen Chalfant standing out for her incredible work. Meanwhile, the supporting cast is delightful and adds plenty of character and charm to the film overall.

The film’s brilliance is largely down to the choices made for each scene, and the silence that it comfortably occupies and owns. While many films require a score to deepen the story, Familiar Touch delivers an emotional punch with relative silence. The scenes are deliberate and help to establish isolation as Ruth’s confusion grows. There is a power that comes with these scenes, and while the pace is undeniably slow, it helps to capture the deeper message.

Contrasting the confusion and isolation that is running rife in Ruth’s mind, there is peace, friendship, and love. Ruth’s time in the facility appears to genuinely help her, and the relationships she develops are important. However, life is not the same, and Ruth’s ability to both communicate and receive truth is impaired. This creates drama and tension in the moments where calm appears to be the focus. It’s a fascinating exploration of the complex nature of memory loss.

Kathleen Chalfant Is An Outstanding Leading Lady

Of course, the entire film couldn’t work without Ruth, and Chalfant has everything to do with her portrayal. Ruth is full of life and vigor. She’s firm, funny, challenging, and powerful from scene to scene. While the film showcases a woman losing parts of herself, Ruth holds firmly onto the remaining pieces and displays them with pride.

This also helps to create a strong narrative that drives the film forward and provides context and motion in the silence. Ruth is flirtatious, cheeky, and endearing, and regardless of her impairments, she continues to take control of a room as her personality shines through. The film also bookends her progress beautifully, with the beginning and end tying together in stunning symmetry. Of course, for Ruth, this means her illness continues to progress.

But despite all this, and the heaviness of the theme at large, Familiar Touch feels deeply hopeful. It resonates with a sense of endurance and continuance, evolution and convergence, entropy and chaos. Ruth’s story is sad in ways, but it’s also bright, beautiful, and rich. Ultimately, Familiar Touch is a reflection of human nature itself, and one whose bright outlook shines throughout.