Familiar Touch

In this brilliant and moving debut film, Ruth (Kathleen Chalfant) finds herself checked into a residential care facility by her son. She is experiencing dementia, her past life blurring and focusing before her. Like the new kid at school, we see her learn the ropes, as well as re-connect with past joys from her life as a professional chef.

It is tempting to view dementia patients through the eyes of their loved ones, as they become less estranged to them. But Familiar Touch keeps the focus on Ruth, seeing her beyond her decline and instead on who she is now. Her son, played by H. Jon Benjamin – known primarily for his comic roles including Bob’s Burgers – and the other residents are brilliant foils to her, in a drama that is attentive and thoughtful, one of the year’s best.