Canine Companionship In ‘The Friend’ Heals The Heart And Soul

Since the golden years of Hollywood movies featuring canines such as Lassie have proved to be crowd pleasers, drawing large audiences to cinemas.

The Friend which stars Naomi Watts and Bill Murray, should continue this tradition with a heartfelt storyline surrounding a large great dame which audiences are destined to fall in love with.

Iris (Naomi Watts) is a teacher and novelist whose best friend Walter (Bill Murray) has  tragically died. He has bequeathed his dog Apollo to Iris who is not a dog lover. It’s a hard transition, living alone then suddenly accepting responsibility for a dog while working as a teacher and attempting to complete her novel.

“You were his best friend. This is what Walter would have wanted,” she is told, but Iris feels she’s losing control of her life. Her friend asks, “You’re not thinking of keeping him?!” “Of course not!” she quickly responds.

The movie delves on the highs and lows of this relationship and the sadness that comes from losing a friend. But Iris is not the only one grieving. Apollo has lost his master – he’s also in mourning. How do you explain death to a dog? What do dogs think when they see humans cry? Will this newfound forced relationship between Iris and Apollo prove to be mentally therapeutical for both of them?

Naomi Watts in recent years has accepted roles in smaller quality dramas. She has chosen this script wisely and shines throughout, delivering an affective career best performance which may reduce sensitive viewers to tears.

Bill Murray has fewer scenes which are intermittently embedded in cathartic sequences where Iris is having conversations with him posthumously, as a means of processing her grief, working through her emotions and finding a sense of peace. His performance is dramatic, omitting the comedic style which audiences have previously been accustomed to.

Unashamedly, the great dame Bing who portrays Apollo, is the standout and overshadows the human talent in this film. Apollo provides all the laughs and dog lovers in the audience should relate to the negative but hilarious behavioural patterns of Apollo, such as messing up the apartment, tearing clothes to shreds and sleeping on the master’s bed.

A silent rule among actors is ‘you never work with animals or children.’ Naomi Watts should be honoured that she broke this rule, as this movie is an endearing and beautifully crafted motion picture which highlights the importance of animals as emotional support to humans in times of tragedy – and likewise the human emotional support to animals.

In the current cinematic climate, which is seemingly saturated with blockbuster films, The Friend is the perfect alternative, a heartwarming and delightful movie which should not go unnoticed.

***1/2

In Cinemas July 31