FAMILIAR TOUCH

Billed as a “coming-of-old-age” story, filmmaker Sarah Friedland’s poignant feature debut considers the fears and desires of those who are often relegated to the periphery in cinema and society. Ruth (played by a magnificent Kathleen Chalfant), an aging widow and retired professional cook, suffers from dementia. No longer able to recognize her loved ones, she is checked into an assisted living facility by her reluctant, conflicted son (H. Jon Benjamin of BOB’S BURGERS fame in an understated dramatic turn), and thus begins a rocky, uncertain transition into the next chapter of her twilight years. The film was shot on location at Villa Gardens, a Pasadena retirement community, with a mix of non-professional and professional actors. Friedland’s compassionate and delicate lens allows gestures and movement to come to the forefront as Ruth grapples with her shifting relationships with her caregivers, her son and her memory loss. FAMILIAR TOUCH earned acclaim at last year’s Venice International Film Festival, winning the Luigi De Laurentiis Award for Best Debut Film, along with the Orizzonti Awards for Best Director and Best Actress (Chalfant). (Note courtesy of AFI FEST.) DIR/SCR/PROD Sarah Friedland; PROD Alexandra Byer, Matthew Thurm. U.S., 2024, color, 90 min. NOT RATED

Run Time: 90 Minutes

Opening Date: Friday, June 27, 2025

Genre: Drama