Sigrid Nunez’s slight novel The Friend makes for an unlikely adaptation. The award-winning book, released in 2018, is scant in terms of plot and shifts between thoughtful reflection and references to other works. It’s self-reflexive at times, and occasionally pretentious in its high-brow approach. But writers and directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel have not only made the story accessible onscreen, they have infused it with a raw emotional life that was less easily attained in print.
THE FRIEND ★★★1/2 (3.5/4 stars)
Directed by: Scott McGehee, David Siegel
Written by: Scott McGehee, David Siegel
Starring: Naomi Watts, Bill Murray, Sarah Pidgeon, Carla Gugino, Constance Wu, Ann Dowd
Running time: 120 mins.
Naomi Watts plays Iris, a solitary novelist, who lives in a tiny Manhattan apartment. Her life is shaken when her former teacher and mentor Walter (Bill Murray) kills himself, leaving behind three ex-wives and an enormous Great Dane named Apollo (Bing). In his passing, Walter has insisted that Iris take Apollo, a gentle soul with his own palpable grief at the loss of his owner. Iris reluctantly brings Apollo home, where he takes over her bed and gets her in trouble with the landlord, who doesn’t allow pets, and at first she keeps the canine at arm’s length. She doesn’t understand him, but he gives her a connection to Walter, a clearly complicated man. McGehee and Siegel cleverly expand the plot and give Nunez’s nameless narrator a more complete existence.
Watts is masterful in the role. Her Iris is conflicted and grappling with grief, anger and a deep sense of sadness. Her relationship with Walter was nebulous—they had a romance, once, and she’s now putting his work together for a new book. Apollo mirrors many of these emotions and eventually worms his way into her heart. In film form, The Friend is less erudite and more grounded. Although Iris is a talented novelist and a writing teacher herself, the narrative never gets caught up in the intellectual nature of her work. Where the novel muses about literature and art, McGehee and Siegel center on loss and the way animals can save even the loneliest of people. Anyone who has ever had or loved a dog will immediately understand the film, and perhaps find it even more poignant.
The casting of Bing, apparently a long and involved process, is also well done. He’s the perfect foil to Watts and his soulful eyes imbue the character with a vulnerability that feels almost uncanny. He’s a joy to watch, as is his growing friendship with Iris, the heart of the story. McGehee and Siegel smartly keep the duo at the forefront of the movie, only occasionally shifting backwards to see Walter during his life. There’s a beautiful, sun-drenched sequence where Walter finds Apollo, immediately knowing the dog will change his life. He’s changes Iris’s life, too, and it’s impossible not to feel a dull ache when you realize alongside her that Apollo won’t live forever. That’s the nature of our outward connections, as the film acknowledges. We eventually will lose everyone we care about, but it’s the moments spent together that can shift who we are and how we live.
There’s a sweetness to The Friend that is rare in cinema today. There’s no cynicism in McGehee and Siegel’s version of the story, nor is there any malice. Iris contends with whether to keep Apollo and how to navigate her rent-controlled building’s strict rules on pets, and she faces the reality of loss. But, like any good dog movie, The Friend is ultimately optimistic: What did we do to deserve dogs? And what did Iris do to deserve a dog like Apollo? In truth, these are questions without answers. But McGehee and Siegel celebrate the miracle of our furry friends anyway, honoring how much they can teach us as we encounter the bumps on the road. You’ll walk away from the movie ready to adopt your own Great Dane, no matter how small your home or how strict your landlord.
