NZIFF 2025 Craccum Coverage | Familiar Touch

Sarah Friedland’s debut feature film familiar touch offers a delicate and devastatingly beautiful insight into a period of life that is not often explored on the big screen. It follows main character Ruth Goldman, played by Kathleen Chalfant, in her journey moving into assisted living while grappling with dementia. Chalfant’s extraordinary performance depicted the nuances of developing memory loss, showing a woman trying to piece together a tapestry of her memories while still holding a desire for freedom, autonomy, and desire. Familiar Touch further explores the muscle memory of oneself. The fact that while Ruth may not remember her own son, yet she can effortlessly recall how to cook the recipes which she has evidently loved for so long. A poignant insight into the sensory experience of doing the things we love, and how deeply our body memorises the process of our passions. 

H. Jon Benjamin depicted Ruth’s son Steve, showing the complex and heartwrenching journey of a child attempting to navigate a new part of their relationship with a parent who rarely remembers who they are. 

Friedland’s warm colour palette alongside the intimate way her shots depicted Ruth’s life, Familiar Touch is visually beautiful while emotionally tender. Friedland’s cinematic style accompanied the character driven narrative providing famed insights into Ruth’s life, paired with almost tactile audio experiences where the sound brings you back through Ruth’s memories. Familiar Touch however does not portray this through dramatic flashbacks or suspense, but rather gently unwraps Ruth’s character as you follow her through navigating her new environment. 

Familiar Touch truly blends memory, sensation, and emotion creating a tender exploration of dementia, while depicting the raw humanity in experiencing the final stage of a life well loved.