The Friend
A writer inherits her late friend’s Great Dane in The Friend. Iris (Naomi Watts) is a writer and literary professor who was close friends with her mentor, Walter (Bill Murray). Walter was an acclaimed novelist and notorious womanizer, with a trail of ex-wives including Elaine (Carla Gugino), Tuesday (Constance Wu), and Barbara (Noma Dumezweni). However, Iris is left distraught when Walter unexpectedly and suddenly commits suicide.
After the funeral, Barbara asks Iris to take care of Walter’s Great Dane Apollo, who has been immensely sad since his master’s death. Iris struggles with keeping Apollo in her small New York apartment while also working with Walter’s daughter, Val (Sarah Pidgeon), to finish editing his final book. While initially apprehensive of owning a dog, Iris soon finds that Apollo offers comfort towards her grief towards Walter.
The Friend Synopsis
The Friend is a drama written and directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel, based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Sigrid Nunez. The film stars Naomi Watts as Iris, who is grieving the death of her friend and mentor, Walter, played in flashbacks by Bill Murray. Iris is shocked to discover that Walter insisted that his dog Apollo go to her and not one of his ex-wives.
Iris initially finds life with Apollo difficult, as the Great Dane spends most of his time sulking on Iris’s bed. Having Apollo around also puts Iris in danger of being evicted, as her rent-controlled building has a strict no-dog policy. However, they both begin to open up to each other, as Apollo’s presence helps with Iris’ healing journey.
My Thoughts on The Friend
Among the other themes in the film, The Friend is ultimately about the connection that forms between dogs and their human owners. Both Naomi Watts’s Iris and the Great Dane Apollo are dealing with grief in their own way. While Apollo is initially distant towards her, he soon comes to open up towards her as his new owner.
Even though Bill Murray has second billing in The Friend, his character of Walter is already dead as the film begins, with him only being seen through multiple flashbacks. Murray’s main scene in the film comes via a combination of flashback and fantasy sequence in the third act. It is here where Iris imagines herself taking out her frustrations on Walter for his committing suicide.
Because of the themes of suicide and mental health, the drama of The Friend does get heavy at times. This includes Iris not becoming aware of her issues with anxiety and depression until it is brought up by her neighbour, Marjorie (Ann Dowd). I also have to argue that The Friend gets almost cruelly emotionally manipulative towards the end, as Naomi Watts’s narration suggests a much sadder resolution to this story, which had me in tears, before the final shot yanks all that emotion away.
Because of that emotional manipulation, The Friend loses a few points in my overall grade of the film. However, if you are a dog lover, The Friend is still worth checking out, and you’ll probably end up falling in love with the Great Dane Bing, who plays Apollo. It’s arguably the dog’s acting that makes the film as effective as it is.
Trailer for The Friend
