The Friend (15)

Strong language

Naomi Watts’ beautifully restrained performance anchors this quietly resonant drama about grief, healing, and unexpected companionship.

Adapted from Sigrid Nunez’s novel, it follows Iris, a solitary writing professor whose world is upended by the death of her closest friend, a famed author named Walter (Bill Murray). Inheriting his enormous and grieving Great Dane, Apollo, Iris is faced with both logistical challenges and deeper emotional reckonings. As the two bond, Iris begins to come to terms with her past, and her own creative inner life.

Directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel craft a subdued, character-led portrait of mourning and memory, told with unforced intimacy. Watts plays Iris with remarkable subtlety, her every glance revealing anger, affection and fatigue beneath the surface. Her reluctant bond with Apollo becomes a quiet lifeline. They are two beings adrift, anchoring one another.

While the supporting cast is full of promise, The Friend wisely keeps its focus tight, reflecting its protagonist’s inward gaze. McGehee and Siegel’s unfussy direction suits the material, letting its most emotional moments land without fanfare. What emerges is a story not about dramatic revelations, but about the slow return of presence, purpose, and the will to carry on.