The Friend (2024)
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A grieving writer struggles to navigate her complicated past and a burdensome new responsibility after the death of her mentor.
The story
Iris, a writer and college professor in Manhattan, is struggling to cope with the recent suicide of her mentor and friend, Walter. While attempting to navigate her grief and a stalled biography project, she is asked by Walter's ex-wife to temporarily care for his senior Great Dane, Apollo. The large dog quickly creates chaos in Iris's apartment, leading to a conflict with her landlord and a potential eviction. In an effort to keep the dog, Iris seeks a way to register him as an emotional support animal, all while grappling with the complex history of her relationship with Walter.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Iris, a writer and college professor in Manhattan, is mourning the suicide of her mentor, Walter. While dealing with writer's block on his biography, she takes in his senior Great Dane, Apollo, at the request of Walter's ex-wife, Barbara. Apollo's presence causes significant disruption in Iris's apartment, leading to warnings from the building superintendent and a notice of eviction. To keep Apollo, Iris manages to have her therapist refer him as an emotional support animal. During this time, Iris processes her grief by writing an autobiographical story where she confronts Walter about his suicide. She eventually decides to drop the biography project to write a new book about her experiences with him. Later, Iris is invited to stay at a beach house on Long Island with Apollo, who is suffering from age-related arthritis. While staying there, she experiences a moment of fear when she finds him lying inert on the beach, only to discover he is simply resting.
- First release year
- 2024
- Runtime (minutes)
- 120
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Scott McGehee; David Siegel
- Writers
- Scott McGehee · screenplay; David Siegel · screenplay
- Genres
- drama
- Themes
- Grief; Mentorship; Memory; Responsibility
- Tone and mood
- Drama; Somber; Reflective
- Setting
- Manhattan and Long Island, New York, during the present day.
- Premise and plot tags
- Drama; Based on a novel; Dog movie
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2018 novel by Sigrid Nunez
- Reception
- The film received generally favorable reviews from critics.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 70 · scale: 100 · review count: 35; Metacritic · score: 70 · scale: 100 · review count: 35
- Production trivia
- The film was based on a novel by Sigrid Nunez.; Principal photography began in New York City.; The film was released in the United States on March 28, 2025.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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