‘Familiar Touch' treats dementia with dignity and grace
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Friedland's direction also took home best director honors at Venice, as well as best debut film. Her framing choices alternate between loving closeups and wide shots where Ruth seems overshadowed by her surroundings. It's all meant to evoke Ruth's point of view, yet the result never feels condescending or pitiable.
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The opening scene is a series of quiet, long takes. We watch Ruth choose an outfit and make sandwiches for two. Her lunch date is Steve (Worcester native
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Kathleen Chalfant as Ruth and Andy McQueen as Brian in 'Familiar Touch.'
Armchair Poetics
Once inside the facility, she remembers what's going on and dismisses her now-recognized son. Steve leaves her in the hands of a caretaker, Vanessa (Carolyn Michelle), who is studying for a managerial position within the assisted facility sphere, and Brian (Andy McQueen), a friendly medical intern who tests Ruth's memory and checks her vitals.
Ruth refuses to retreat quietly into her fate. She doesn't want to be among people she senses are worse off than she is, and she challenges her diagnosis. 'Would someone with [dementia] remember all that?' she asks Brian after reeling off a complex recipe for borscht. But a later scene where Ruth unexpectedly shows up to prepare a meal in the kitchen proves that, in those food-related moments, her brain is placing her in an earlier time in her life.
Everyone in the facility treats Ruth with care, gently allowing her to function on her own terms regardless of whether they exist in the present or the past. The film was made with the assistance of a real assisted living facility, and some of the residents and employees appear in scenes. This may explain why 'Familiar Touch' feels so knowledgeable about its subject. Additionally, the director and lead actor used their own experiences with people they knew to inform their work.
H. Jon Benjamin as Steve in 'Familiar Touch.'
Armchair Poetics
Though this is Chalfant's show, she is ably assisted by her supporting cast. Michelle radiates warmth and understanding, standing out in a moving scene where an exchange of recipes with Ruth brings tears to her eyes. McQueen is a beacon of good humor. And in his short screen time, Benjamin conveys both joy and weariness as the loyal son watching his mother forget who he is. Steve's final scene with Ruth is bittersweet and poignant.
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'Familiar Touch' accomplishes a lot in just around 90 minutes. By no means should you expect a wallow in misery. Like its protagonist, the film refuses to go gentle into that good night. Its defiance is tempered with dignity and grace.
★★★1/2
FAMILIAR TOUCH
Written and directed by Sarah Friedland. Starring Kathleen Chalfant, H. Jon Benjamin, Carolyn Michelle, Andy McQueen. At the Brattle. 90 min. Unrated (profanity).
Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe's film critic.
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