Sigrid Nunez's 'The Friend' tells a story of friendship and despair

Sigrid Nunez's 'The Friend' tells a story of friendship and despair

Nunez's 2018 novel won the National Book Award. It's now a film, starring Naomi Watts and Bill Murray, about a woman who inherits a dog after her friend's suicide. Originally broadcast in 2019.

How Do You Direct a 150-Pound Great Dane? Giving Him Naomi Watts as a Scene Partner Helps

You’ve probably seen his cute face and big noggin on billboards, TV, or while scrolling your social media feed — a black-and-white-speckled Great Dane named Bing, with a disarmingly droopy face and a pair of heartbreakingly handsome eyes of different colors, accompanying Naomi Watts in the streets of New York City. Obviously a very good boy, Bing is the canine star of David Siegel and Scott McGehee’s big-hearted urban drama “The Friend,” a tende…

Bill Murray, Naomi Watts Form Surprising Bond in The Friend

The Friend (2025) is an upcoming film based on the award-winning novel by Sigrid Nunez. This quiet emotional drama has already stirred early buzz with screenings at TIFF The Friend and the Telluride Film Festival. It stars the surprising but touching duo of Bill Murray and Naomi Watts. With themes of love, loss, and healing, The Friend movie promises to tug at heartstrings in the best way. Plot Overview In The Friend, Naomi Watts plays a woman d…

Interview: 'The Friend' Filmmakers Scott McGehee and David Siegel Discuss Working with Bing the Dog - Awards Radar

When you watch The Friend, you almost have to stand in awe of the performance, yes performance, given by Bing the Dog. Writer/directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel certainly didn’t make it easy on themselves here. The film would not work without the work put forth by Bing, and that’s alongside the likes of Bill Murray and Naomi Watts. I was moved deeply by the movie back at the Telluride Film Festival, given the plot here, but I also just adm…

At the "The Friend" premiere in New York, Naomi Watts shone all over the face. But her daughter and her film dog were in a bad mood.

The Friend Review: Naomi Watts Amply Portrays Grief with Admirable Performance

Note: This review was originally published as part of our 2024 New York Film Festival coverage. The Friend opens in theaters on March 28 from Bleecker Street. Independent filmmaking duo Scott McGehee and David Siegel’s The Friend, their newest in a 30-year collaboration, is a dog movie. Or, more aptly, it’s a film about a dog and Iris (Naomi Watts), a woman who hates dogs. Iris inherits a Great Dane, Apollo, from her late friend, mentor, and lov…