Familiar Touch Review: Sarah Friedland’s Delightfully Soft Debut Introduces a Fresh Voice

      Note: This review was initially published as part of our Venice 2024 coverage. Familiar Touch is set to be released in theaters on June 20.

      In a bright kitchen in California, Ruth crafts a sandwich with a familiarity that only a lifetime can create. The bread is toasted and allowed to cool; dill is efficiently picked and chopped; sour cream, radish, and salmon are meticulously arranged to mimic a blooming flower. After preparing herself, she serves the sandwich to a man named Steve (H. Jon Benjamin), who seems unfamiliar to her. When he mentions that he is an architect, she replies, “My father builds homes. Perhaps you’ll meet him someday.” Her son, momentarily surprised, can only smile affectionately and say, “I’d like that.”

      This ambiguous realm—part clarity, part confusion—is the focus of Sarah Friedland’s poignant debut feature, Familiar Touch. It tells the story of an elderly woman whose dementia prompts her to oscillate between various ages, sometimes her 80-something self, and at other times, a more lively and flirtatious 25-year-old. Most of the film was shot at Villa Gardens, a continuing care facility in Pasadena, where Steve brings Ruth during the opening scene, leaving her just as realization dawns. Throughout the film, she grapples with her situation, forming friendships with care workers Brian (Andy McQueen) and Vanessa (Carolyn Michelle), while adapting to the changing rhythms of her life.

      The film is a beautifully gentle piece of storytelling—an understated triumph that offers a fresh perspective on a subject that, if not entirely exhausted, has become somewhat clichéd. Friedland’s subtly intricate method focuses on telling Ruth’s story from her viewpoint rather than that of a loved one, without fully disclosing what is transpiring within her mind. The film avoids lengthy monologues and is restrained in depicting the character's suffering, staying true to the realities of her circumstances. The experiences we see at Villa Gardens are mostly positive: finding a sense of agency by helping in the kitchen, enjoying playful interactions during her check-ups with Brian, and forming a real bond with Vanessa. Even during her toughest moments, Familiar Touch remains anchored to her perspective, allowing Ruth to find her strength with dignity when despair seems imminent. This is all captured (by Friedland’s regular collaborator Gabe Elder) with a level of intimacy that feels neither intrusive nor merely observational.

      For her debut with actors, Friedland has assembled a charming cast: McQueen, Michelle, and Jon Benjamin (the voice behind Bob from Bob’s Burgers) each embody the right mix of warmth and weariness their roles demand. Additionally, Chalfant infuses a wealth of inner life into a character who struggles to discern which inner self is truly hers. Chalfant started her career on stage (gaining recognition in Angels in America and winning an Obie for Wit in 1999) but is perhaps more widely known for her television roles (The Affair, various Law & Orders). She appeared in The Last Days of Disco and more recently in Old, but Familiar Touch offers her a rare leading role, and I would gladly welcome more of her work.

      Friedland has been making films since 2014, focusing on bodies and movement, with conceptual pieces that occasionally intersected with her experiences as a caregiver for artists with neurodegenerative diseases. For Familiar Touch, the director draws from these experiences, as well as memories of visiting her grandmother, an artist and intellectual who developed dementia and became non-verbal several years ago. Friedland has expressed how her family often spoke about her grandmother as if she were already lost, despite her personality still emerging in different ways. This thoughtfulness and sensitivity permeate Friedland’s debut feature, marking the emergence of a new voice in the independent film scene that will undoubtedly be enriched by her contributions.

      Familiar Touch had its premiere at the 2024 Venice Film Festival.