Naomi Watts, Bill Murray, and a Great Dane come together to create one of the most surprisingly moving films of this new year. The Friend is the latest work from screenwriters and directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel (2001’s The Deep End). A touching character piece, this extremely well-written film traverses its themes of love, grief, and devotion with honesty and truth.

There isn’t a false moment nor unearned emotion within this most welcome adult-oriented picture. A few nuggets of levity exist, but this dramatic story of the life-changing relationship between a human and a dog is done with respect for character. Where most films featuring animals can be cloying, McGehee and Siegel understand the intricacies found within the source material; Sigrid Nunez’s 2018 National Book Award-winning bestseller of the same name. The human condition (and the soul of a dog in emotional pain) that take precedence here, not goofy scenes of animal comedy bookended with silly reaction shots.

The Friend is the story of Iris (Naomi Watts, reminding us how great she can be), a writer and teacher living in a rent-controlled Manhattan apartment located in the West Village. Iris is emotionally destroyed by the death of her best friend Walter (Bill Murray), who has committed suicide. The two were very close, having built a lasting friendship based on mutual professional respect (also a writer, Walter was Iris’s mentor) and their surviving a brief affair while Walter was married to his first wife (Carla Gugino, in a nice turn).

It has been some time since Bill Murray has been used so well. Walter appears in just a few scenes, but the effects of his presence on the women who loved him are ever present. Murray has the right type of laid-back charisma to suit the character. The filmmakers keep Walter’s screen time brief, while the comedy legend quietly delivers a memorable performance that permeates every moment of the film. Each character interaction and decision is fueled by Walter’s impactful memory. Murray’s naturally endearing persona fits Walter well, allowing a better understanding of how this group of women stay so devoted to a man who broke all of their hearts. 

Iris finds her rent-controlled living situation in danger when Walter’s current wife/widow (Noma Dumezweni) gives her care of his Great Dane, Apollo. It is unclear if the widow is fibbing to Iris about Walter bequeathing the dog to his old friend, but she reluctantly accepts. Unfortunately, Iris’s building has a strict rule against pets of any kind; a rule that could see her evicted.

After telling the building’s superintendent (Felix Solis, an actor carving out a good career) that the Apollo situation will be handled “in a few days”, she begins to bond with the animal. It is clear that he is grieving. Apollo knows Walter is gone and his pain seems inconsolable. It is in this inescapable grief where Iris and Apollo find their unique connection. These two broken hearts are no longer alone in their grief.

As Watts does some of the strongest work of her career, it is the canine actor, Bing, that manages to tether the audience’s hearts to Apollo. The scenes shared between the two are impactful. Apollo isn’t a “cutsie” movie dog. The pain the animal is going through is evident in his expressive eyes. Iris shares in that pain and misses Walter, though she feels betrayed by his suicidal final bow. Apollo has entered her life as abruptly as Walter left it. Uprooting her routine, inserting himself into her world, and slowly taking over her every thought, Apollo has become an extension of Walter; an inconvenience she cannot help but to love.

The Friend is designed to experience Walter’s life through Iris’s interactions with his ex-wives and widow. Wife No. 1 (Gugino), was a former student, just as Walter was Iris’s mentor. Constance Wu is his second wife who has a disdain for Iris due to her close relationship with Walter. His third wife (Dumezweni) was also a colleague and is more than happy to rid herself of the dog.

Iris is close with Walter’s estranged adult daughter, Val (Sarah Pidgeon). The two were working on a collection of his letters of correspondence. The literary world is now salivating to read them, as Walter’s death will surely sell books. 

As the women in Walter’s life interact with one another (on the streets and in the apartments and restaurants of New York City), the film finds kinship with Woody Allen’s best work from his fruitful filmmaking period during the 70s and 80s. McGehee and Siegel’s intelligent adaptation of Nunez’s original text gives insight into the marital discord and combined neuroses of the characters through their memories of Walter, making for a stylistically “Woody-esque”experience in the best ways.

The film is infused with moments of naturalistic humor, but the emotional pull is what makes it so satisfying. We feel for Apollo. It is heartbreaking to see him lay around in bed, cozying up to Walter’s old shirt. His hurt is real and Iris shares those feelings. Their journey to friendship and a life beyond the pain of losing their best friend is profoundly moving. 

We cannot choose who our hearts decide to love. Be they friend or lover, the connections we make impact our respective life journeys. When that person is gone, through a breakup or death, the gravity of loss can be crippling while the complexities of moving on seem impossible.

The Friend understands this. McGehee and Siegel crafted a story of human and animal coming together in a time of pain. Iris and Apollo’s healing will take time. Together they can find their way through their sadness and into each other’s hearts. Nothing is more human.

The Friend

Written by Scott McGehee and David Siegel (Based on the novel by Sigrid Nunez)

Directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel

Starring Naomi Watts, Bill Murray, Bing, Carla Gugino, Constance Wu, Felix Solis, Noma Dumezweni, Sarah Pidgeon, Ann Dowd

R, 119 Minutes, Bleecker Street