By Jane Ng (25S03D)

This review was written as part of the 35th Singapore International Film Festival’s (SGIFF) Cinephile Pass programme.

During the post-screening Q&A session, director Sarah Friedland was asked, “Is there a particular reason you decided on the title “Familiar Touch”? To me, it seemed extremely unfamiliar.”

Curiously enough, the person asking this question had a point. Friedland’s debut brings us along with Ruth, an octogenarian who adjusts to a new chapter of her life in Bella Vista, an assisted living facility for the elderly. She moves from her homey, bookshelf-laden Brooklyn house to Level 3 of Bella Vista dubbed “Memory Lane”, very much befitting the ailment that afflicts Ruth and her floormates: dementia.

By Jane Ng (25S03D)

This review was written as part of the 35th Singapore International Film Festival’s (SGIFF) Cinephile Pass programme.

By Jane Ng (25S03D)

As they say, “To be cringe is to be free.” 

Unlike other coming-of-age films, Sean Wang’s directorial debut and winner of the prestigious Sundance award, Dìdi (2024) is interesting because it almost exclusively focuses on the parts of growing up that nobody wants to talk about. It’s a semi-autobiographical ode to the late-aughts and the universal experience of adolescence, and grapples with cultural upbringing, growing up with the internet, and finding your place in the world.