Get your tissues ready. The Friend stars Naomi Watts as Iris, a solitary creative writing teacher mourning the suicide of her mentor and closest friend, Walter (Bill Murray, seen in bittersweet flashbacks).
Inheriting Walter’s giant Great Dane, Apollo, Iris struggles to share her cramped New York flat with the gentle but enormous companion.
Coping with grief
Directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel, The Friend adapts Sigrid Nunez’s novel into a sharp, thoughtful exploration of grief. Iris’s attempts to rehome Apollo, the dog she inherits from her late friend, mirror her own struggle to avoid confronting her sorrow.
But Apollo’s unwavering presence forces her to face the reality of her loss.
Powerful performances
Watts gives a quietly powerful performance, bringing depth to a character who could have easily been overshadowed by the film’s slower moments.
Rather than succumbing to sentimentality, The Friend offers a raw, poignant reminder that grief isn’t something to outrun; it’s something we learn to live with, stumble through, and eventually find peace alongside.
Have you seen The Friend? Did you like it?
