Image courtesy of Music Box Films.
Choreographer and first-time director Sarah Friedland describes her new film, “Familiar Touch,” as “a coming of old age film,” and I couldn’t agree more.
The profoundly empathetic film provides a look at Ruth Goldman (Kathleen Chalfant), an octogenarian woman in the early stages of memory loss and cognitive decline. Through Ruth’s eyes and hands, we experience her journey of transitioning to life at Bella Vista, an assisted living facility.
It might seem impossible to perfectly capture a sense that isn’t vision or hearing through film, an audiovisual medium. But using her knowledge from studying dance and her time as a care companion for New York artists with dementia, Friedland dissects feeling and emotion into touch and movement onscreen. Key scenes in the film include lingering shots of Ruth’s fingers and palms holding, touching and remembering fruits, vegetables, books and recipes, and her arms and body embracing people she cares about. These shots translate palpable, physical joys to universal, audiovisual images that we can all feel.
Filmed in collaboration with the residents and staff of Villa Gardens Continuing Care Retirement Community, “Familiar Touch” offers a humanistic, non-sensationalized, but nonetheless celebratory perspective towards the elderly.
Residents of the real-life Villa Gardens put together short biographical films about themselves before participating in the shoot for “Familiar Touch.” That attitude, which treats real life and experience as art worth celebrating, bleeds perfectly into the finished film. The performances of real elders and facility residents ground the film exceptionally, giving it a level of documentary value. We care about these people because many of them are real.
Friedland knows what she’s doing behind the camera. “Familiar Touch” is a confidently shot and self-assured directorial debut. Every shot is purposeful, showcasing aspects of everyday life that aren’t dramatized or hyperbolized, finding beauty and joy in those moments. As such, the film feels like a slow-moving turntable in its character work. Ruth approaches life at Bella Vista hesitant and confused, but by the end of the film, has discovered and remembered who she is in a place that has finally grown familiar.
Chalfant delivers an excellent, nuanced performance as Ruth, progressing through stages of memory loss at Bella Vista that many of us have seen from the outside, but could not begin to comprehend from the inside, and “Familiar Touch” is a step towards that knowledge. Witnessing her performance is something I would recommend to anyone willing to understand. “Familiar Touch” opens at Midtown Cinema this month.
Midtown Cinema is located at 250 Reily St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.midtowncinema.com. Gabriel Brown serves as assistant manager at Midtown Cinema.
July Events
At Midtown Cinema
Potential First-Run Films
“Superman”
“Sorry Baby”
“Familiar Touch”
“Caught by the Tides”
“In the Mood for Love” (25th anniversary)
Special Events
Open Mic Night
Tuesdays, July 1 & July 15
Trivia Night
Tuesdays, July 8 & 22
Live Music
Thursdays, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Saturday Morning Cartoons
“Anastasia” (1997)
Saturday, July 5 at 11 a.m.
Sunday Docs
“Free Solo” (2018)
Sunday, July 13 at 12 p.m.
Cult Favorites
“The Room” (2003)
Sunday, July 13 at 7 p.m.
3rd in the Burg Movie Night
“The Addams Family” (1991)
Friday, July 18 at 9:30 p.m.
Funny Flicks Series
“Airplane!” (1980)
Sunday, July 20 at 6 p.m.
Tuesday, July 22 at 7 p.m.
Late Night Frights
“Let the Right One In” (2008)
Friday, July 25 at 9:30 p.m.
Friends of Midtown Outdoor Film Series
“Dirty Dancing” (1987), June 28
“Jumanji” (1995), July 12
“Moana 2” (2025), Aug. 23
“Black Panther” (2018), Sept. 13
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