Familiar Touch

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. Films about Alzheimer’s are typically a hard sell, but this one is so rooted in warmth and generosity it’s unexpectedly heartening.

100% Fresh, Rotten Tomatoes

A precise, funny and deeply moving portrait of a woman adjusting to assisted living … Friedland’s film, as sharp as it is soft, conveys both the terror of losing the life you recognize, and the intermittent, fragmented joy of finding it again.

Guy Lodge, Variety

Wondrous. An exquisite drama. Explores the human mind in all its frailness and glory.

Ela Bittencourt, Sight & Sound

There’s a profound tenderness in Sarah Friedland’s affecting first feature and a rare empathy.

Wendy Ide, Screen International