KSL Movie Show review: ‘Familiar Touch’ features a raw and exceptional performance

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If you’ve ever had to put a loved one in a retirement community, this may or may not be the film to watch. Both my parents passed away before my brothers and sisters had to make that faithful decision, but I can certainly sympathize with those who’ve had to.

We see it all around us and it’s heartbreaking in every instance.

Such is the case with Ruth Goldman (Kathleen Chalfant), a woman in her 80s, husband has passed, who seems to be doing just fine at home. She gets a visit from a guy named Steve (Archer’s H. Jon Benjamin) and they sit down to lunch. We don’t know if he’s a new caregiver, taking her on a date or whatever the heck is going on.

We are in the dark because Ruth is in the dark.

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Soon we learn that Steve is actually her son and they’ve been planning for weeks to finally check her into the Bella Vista retirement community, but she doesn’t recall that they’ve been here a number of times, to check the place out.

Not surprisingly, Ruth is upset and tells poor Steve to leave, but she must reluctantly stay. What choice does she have?

Occasionally, Ruth is as sharp as a tack, testing the doctor about a detailed recipe, who she is and where she lives exactly, but other times her dementia creeps in and it’s all her real caregiver, Vanessa (Carolyn Michelle), can do to guide Ruth into doing the right thing.

It’s here where the filmmaker Sarah Friedland made an enlightened decision.

She did not want to film the patients in the memory care wing, due to ethical considerations about the giving of consent. Instead, she had other residents create their own backstories, gave them acting and filmmaking classes, so they would be comfortable and real before the cameras — and it shows. Only a handful of professional actors were involved. The rest were playing versions of themselves.

However, the real jewel in this process was Ruth herself. Kathleen Chalfant has had numerous roles on and off Broadway, plus a handful of reoccurring roles on television, but the work she does in this film is raw, vulnerable and exceptional.

I can’t think of a better performance I’ve seen this year, but given the independent nature of this project, I can’t imagine a lot of people will get a chance to see her work.

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The thought of seeing my own mother in a situation like this brought me to tears several times and this was a place they referred to as a “geriatric country club,” suggesting big money and deluxe care were not a problem.

At one point, Ruth insists on working in the community’s kitchen, begging the question, did she once have a culinary interest? She doesn’t remember, but slowly we learn all kinds of fascinating things about his accomplished woman and it breaks your heart that she has only glimpses of that former life.

I’m not saying “Familiar Touch” will prepare you for a decision like this, but it surely opened my eyes to the realities of what could happen and I am better off for having had this thoughtful experience.

“Familiar Touch” (A-) (Unrated) Featuring Kathleen Chalfant, Carolyn Michelle, H. Jon Benjamin and the residents of the Villa Gardens Retirement Community in Pasadena. Written and directed by Sarah Friedland in her directorial debut. Running time: 91 minutes.

The KSL Movie Show with Andy Farnsworth and Steve Salles airs Fridays on KSL NewsRadio from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Follow the show on Facebook, and join The KSL Movie Show Club for exclusive perks by texting MOVIE to 57500. Message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to cancel. Message frequency varies.