Familiar Touch: A Coming Of (Old) Age Story (And Movie) You Won’t Want To Miss By Mary Fridley

By Mary Fridley

It’s been a while since I last wrote a column for agebuzz. Unfortunately, an array of issues related to work and health has made it difficult to do little more than the basics.

While I’m doing much better, I probably would’ve mustered whatever energy it took to make sure agebuzz readers were introduced to one of the best films of 2025, Familiar Touch (watch the official trailer here).

The official description: Familiar Touch is a coming of (old) age story that follows “an octogenarian woman’s transition to life in assisted living as she contends with her conflicting relationship to herself and her caregivers amidst her shifting memory, age identity, and desires.”

What I’ll add is that Familiar Touch – named Best Debut Film at the 2025 Venice Film Festival – is one of the most touching, respectful and humanizing portrayals of aging, memory loss and care I’ve had the honor of seeing. 

Directed by Sarah Friedland and starring acclaimed theater actress, Kathleen Chalfant (recognized in Venice as Best Director and Best Actress), Familiar Touch opens in New York City on June 20 and in Chicago, Detroit and Los Angeles on June 27.

As I’ve shared in past columns, Dr. Susan Massad and I created Joy of Dementia (You Gotta Be Kidding!) and helped found Reimagining Dementia: A Creative Coalition for Justice, both of which I continue to lead. 

Over the 10 years I’ve had the pleasure of working in and around dementia, I have learned a lot, including how rare it is to find feature films that contribute to creatively and positively transforming the ways we see the very human journey that is dementia and cognitive decline. 

So I was thrilled to learn about Familiar Touch and to meet Sarah Friedland, who, as a director and former care partner for people living with memory loss, refuses to frame this story–or any story of aging–through “the lens of decline.” 

At a moment when Americans of all ages are looking for community and connection, I am also moved by her commitment to intergenerational collaboration. A passionate advocate for intergenerational collaboration, Sarah made the film in partnership with the residents and staff of a continuing care retirement community in California, who participated in a series of filmmaking workshops before joining the feature production as both cast and crew. 

If you live – or know people who live – in New York City, the Joy of Dementia and Reimagining Dementia invite you to join us on Friday, June 20 at 6:50pm for a showing of Familiar Touch at Film Forum in Manhattan that will be followed by a Q&A with Sarah and Kathleen.

Tickets for this screening and all other shows are on sale here.

I had the pleasure of first seeing Familiar Touch at a screening in Chicago hosted by Front Porch, a nationally respected non-profit that runs care communities, outreach programs and other services. I am happy to say that Front Porch is just one of many local and national organizations that are supporting this film, so I hope you – and everyone you know – will as well. You’ll be glad you did!