“The Friend” A Thought-Provoking, Tender Film About Grief
- Matt Palmer
- May 13, 2025
- 3 min read
In “The Friend,” writer and teacher Iris finds her comfortable, solitary New York life thrown into disarray after her closest friend and mentor dies suddenly and bequeaths her his beloved 150 pound Great Dane.
The regal, yet intractable beast, named Apollo, immediately creates practical problems for Iris, from furniture destruction to eviction notices, as well as more existential ones, his looming presence constantly reminding her of her friend’s problematic choices in both life and death.
Yet as Iris finds herself unexpectedly bonding with the animal, she begins to come to terms with her past, her lost friend, and her own creative inner life.
“The Friend” is a truly thought-provoking film that can also get really emotional. This film also explores themes of grief, friendship and the rather unique bond between animals and humans.
This film is extremely emotional and may not be entirely for everyone, due to the topic of suicide. In the opening moments of the film, we see how Iris is grappling with the sudden loss of Walter, someone she has admired. As she tries to process the situation, you can easily see how Iris is in shock. Actress Naomi Watts’ emotional performance also makes those moments truly believable.
The scenes between Iris and Apollo can be both moving and humorous. During the first few times of them being together, we see how Apollo trashes all of her furniture and ultimately takes over her bed. As both Iris and Apollo get closer to one another, their bond comes quite strong and most of those scenes can be rather emotional.
Bill Murray also knocks it out of the park with his supporting role as Walter. Murray can still show that, even in a non-comedic role, he can still give a knock out performance.
Despite Naomi Watts giving a stellar performance in the film, the dog that portrays Apollo can really steal the show. Throughout the film, we can see that Apollo isn’t taking Walter’s death well as they both were quite close, especially when it’s revealed that Apollo was abandoned before Walter found him. There were quite a few of those
moments that actually did make myself (and a few others) tear up a little.
Overall, “The Friend” is a film that can get highly emotional. While the pacing can get a bit slow at times, the film’s message of comfort and companionship in the face of grief will likely resonate with many people.
Cast: Bill Murray (Walter); Naomi Watts (Iris); Chloe Xhauflaire (Camilla); Josh Pais (Jerry); Carla Gugino (Elaine); Constance Wu (Tuesday); Noma Dumezweni (Barbara); Sarah Pidgeon (Val); Annie Fox (Jenna); Owen Teague (Carter); Ann Dowd (Marjorie).
Writer/director: Scott McGehee and David Siegel (Montana Story); Sigrid Nunez (based on the novel by).
Trivia: Author Sigrid Nunez has stated that she is pleased with how her book is presented in this film adaptation. Nunez also stated that Apollo, the Great Dane, is a fictional character in her novel, and not based upon any actual dog in real life. The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2024 and also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2024.
MPA: R for language including a sexual reference (running time 119 minutes)
When Iris (Naomi Watts) visits Walter's (Bill Murray) book publisher, some of Sigrid Nunez's other published books are visible upon the publisher's office desk.
Sigrid Nunez has stated that Apollo, the Great Dane, is a fictional character in her novel, and not based upon any actual dog in real life.
Sigrid Nunez has stated that she is pleased with how her book is presented in this film adaptation.
Sigrid Nunez, the novelist, has stated that the film producers offered her a cameo role as one of the dinner table guests (scene at beginning of story), but she respectfully declined their cordial offer.
The Friend premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2024, and was also screened in the Gala Presentations section at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2024. In October 2024, Bleecker Street acquired North American distribution rights to the film, planning to release it sometime in early 2025.
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