AMERICAN INDIES

FAMILIAR TOUCH

2024 / 92 min / color

The debut feature by American director Sarah Friedland took last year’s Venice Film Festival by storm. It was shown in the Orizzonti (Horizons) competition and won three prestigious awards, including best director and best actress. The latter went to acclaimed Broadway actress Kathleen Chalfant, in the role of 85-year-old Ruth, who’s suffering from dementia. As her illness progresses, Ruth is admitted to a nursing home, leaving behind the reality she’s known for so long. As she adapts to conditions in the nursing home, she actually learns to function in a new way — from the new relationships she builds to the internal transformation that gradually takes place within her. This incredibly intimate story is inspired by events from the director’s real life, when she worked in one of these facilities for several years. When asked about her motivation for telling this story, Friedland also mentioned her experience of caring for her grandmother, who suffered from dementia. Remarkably, one of the most mature films depicting the process of struggling with old age was made by a director who is only 33 years old.

• Independent Spirit Awards – Someone to Watch Award;
• Venice IFF – Best Debut Film, Best Director, Best Actress (Kathleen Chalfant) – Horizons Competition;
• São Paulo IFF – Best Film