Filmmaking duo Scott McGehee and David Siegel bring Sigrid Nunez’s beloved 2018 novel The Friend to the screen, with Naomi Watts as a New York writer reflecting on her old friend and mentor (Bill Murray) after she’s left to care for his Great Dane. Why’s she stuck with the dog? Look, maybe don’t get too attached to old Bill…
How to watch The Friend in New Zealand
The Friend is screening in New Zealand cinemas from August 7, 2025.
What is The Friend about?
As we noted above, Naomi Watts is Iris, who inherits her friend Walter’s Great Dane, Apollo, after Walter takes his own life. The thrust of the plot is that Iris’ building doesn’t allow pets, so she has to figure out a way to be allowed to keep the big brute. In the meantime, she’s editing Walter’s correspondence for publication, which leads her to reflect on her long relationship with the poor old guy.
But going by the book, this isn’t as mawkish as it might sound. It’s prickly, sardonic, melancholy reflection on love, grief and keeping a god the size of a Shetland pony in a New York apartment.
The cast of The Friend
Naomi Watts is Iris; Bill Murray is Walter; Noma Dumezweni is Barbara, his ex-wife; Sarah Pidgeon is Val, his daughter; Carla Gugino is Elaine, yet another ex-wife; Sarah Baskin is Mara; Constance Wu is Tuesday; Juliet Brett is Sophie; and Ann Dowd is Marjorie.
The Friend trailer
Why we’re excited about The Friend
Well, the book certainly has fans, and Scott McGehee and David Siegel are interesting filmmakers. Their debut, Suture, is great, and they’ve tackled literary adaptation before with What Maisie Knew. By all accounts it’s the two lead performances that really carry it here. No, not Watts And Murray—Watts and Bing, the canine actor who plays Apollo.
