Ruth (Kathleen Chalfant), a retired cook, prepares breakfast in her
sunny and cozy kitchen -- a dish she seems to have made many times
before, although small and puzzling errors now punctuate her comfortable
routine. When her son (H. Jon Benjamin) arrives to dine with her, she
mistakes him for a suitor. Their "date" takes them to an assisted living
facility, which Ruth does not remember that she had previously selected
for herself. Among her fellow memory care residents, Ruth feels lost
and adrift, certain she has found herself somewhere she does not belong.
As she slowly begins to accept the warmth and support of care workers
Vanessa (Carolyn Michelle) and Brian (Andy McQueen), she finds new ways
to ground herself in her body, even as her mind embarks on a journey all
its own. Writer-director Sarah Friedland's coming-of-old-age feature
compassionately follows the winding path of octogenarian Ruth's shifting
memories and desires while remaining rooted in her sage perspective.
Director and screenwriter Sarah Friedland’s exquisite film is
heartbreakingly authentic but warmhearted and even joyful at moments, as
it respects the life of the regal and refined Ruth as well as those who
know her or are just getting to know her... -Randy Myers, San Jose Mercury News
Chalfant’s Ruth is merely, momentously human: an older woman in need,
but no less expressive of life’s fullness because of it. It’s a
portrayal to remember, for as long as any of us can. -Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
It’s devastating to behold. But devastation is only the culmination, and
not the entirety, of Ruth’s journey, and Chalfant’s performance, for
all its exquisite subtlety, is also furiously alive. -Justin Chang, The New Yorker