Naomi Watts struggles with death and big dog in The Friend

Films that deal with grief typically focus on the impact death has on the friends and family of someone who dies. However, any animal lover will tell you that losing an owner, or even a fellow animal, can be equally traumatic for a pet. The new film The Friend tackles such a situation in empathetic and unexpected ways.

The story mainly focuses on Iris (Naomi Watts), a writing professor whom we soon discover is one of the many ex-wives of Walter (Bill Murray), a fellow professor who has just died by suicide. At his funeral, we are introduced to two more ex-wives, Elaine (Carla Gugino) and Tuesday (Constance Wu), his current wife, Barbara (Noma Dumezweni), as well as his daughter, Val (Sarah Pidgeon), the result of yet another relationship.

Barbara tells Iris that it was Walter’s wish for her to take Apollo, his Great Dane, a request to which Iris reluctantly agrees despite having a small apartment and a building rule against owning dogs. Not only is Apollo close to immovable due to his immense size, it’s readily apparent that he misses Walter tremendously. Iris must deal with her complicated feelings about Walter’s death alongside the need to care for a dog to which she is becoming increasingly attached.

Written and directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel, the film is a meditation on grief that somehow never feels overly sad. Part of the reason is that Walter is mostly a side character who only appears in a few scenes, and that each of the women in his life view him as someone to both love and loathe. But while Iris and the others try to figure out what Walter’s death means to them, Apollo has no such misgivings, demonstrating his feelings through his actions (or lack thereof).

The main arc of the film involving Iris and Apollo is underscored by a variety of side plots, including Iris and Val trying to honor Walter using his own words, Iris constantly getting threatened with eviction over presence of Apollo, and the push-and-pull between Walter’s wives about things left undone or unsaid following his unexpected death. Flashbacks to scenes between Iris and Walter give a glimpse of their unique bond, as well as smaller details that color her feelings toward Apollo.

While the film remains interesting and watchable throughout, there seems to be something missing to put it over the top. It could be that we only know the women through their relationships with Walter, with little stories of their own. It could be the bland title, one whose subject never becomes clear. Or it could be that it needed to go even deeper than it does, removing some of the lighter moments to truly understand the dilemma that Iris is facing.

While Watts has continued to work, notably appearing in two harrowing films in 2022, she’s been somewhat under the radar in recent years. She gives a compelling, if understated, performance here, keeping focus even when Apollo threatens to take it away. Murray always makes for a nice presence, although his impact is limited here. Gugino, Wu, Dumezweni, and Pidgeon each get a few opportunities to show their skills, but it would have been nice to see more out of each of them.

Apollo (real name Bing) has soulful, sad eyes that bring an extra dimension to The Friend, a film that confronts death in distinct ways that are hit-and-miss overall. The story is far from bereft of emotion, but a few tweaks here and there could have made it even more powerful.

---

The Friend is now playing in theaters.