The latest trailer has been released for The Friend. Co-directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel, the latest drama is about a writer who adopts a Great Dane that belonged to her late friend and mentor. The film stars Naomi Watts and Bill Murray in the lead roles, with a supporting cast that includes Ann Dowd, Constance Wu, Carla Gugino, Cedric Cannon, Owen Teague, and Sarah Pidgeon. It was written by Siegel and McGehee and was based on the 2018 novel by Sigrid Nunez. Producers include Siegel and McGehee alongside Liza Chasin and Mike Spreter.

Now, Bleecker Street has revealed the trailer for The Friend, which releases in New York on March 28 before going wide on April 4. The trailer begins with Watts’ character, Iris, going to pick up a giant, black-and-white Great Dane. It is explained that Murray’s character, Walter, pᴀssed away and wanted Iris to be in charge of his dog when he died. The trailer then cuts between scenes of Iris trying to take care of the dog, attempting to get her book published, and reflecting on her good times with Walter before his death. All the while, Iris struggles with the dog, taking up all the space on her bed and resisting walks. Check it out below:

What This Trailer Means For The Friend

The Friend Will Focus On Human Grief

Between Marley & Me and A Dog’s Purpose, there have been plenty of emotional dog movies made over the last few years. The Friend is another heart-wrenching dog movie, but instead of finding its emotional moments in a dog’s death, this movie has a human life live on through the eyes of the dog. While the Great Dane’s fate is not revealed in the trailer, it is the human, Walter, that Iris is seen grieving throughout the trailer.

Structurally, it seems that the film will have a good number of flashbacks mixed in with its present-day scenes. This makes sense when the production has gotten an actor as big as Murray to play Walter. As both Iris and Walter’s dog grieve the loss of their loved one, his presence is still really felt in the scenes. If done effectively, The Friend will holistically explore who Walter was as a human and why he is so missed.

Our Take On The Friend Trailer

The Team Chose A Good Dog

Movies with animals as lead characters are hard to pull off, but The Friend looks like it may have what it takes to do so. The dog looks well-trained, and its oversized breed is enough to make his scenes expressive on their own. The dog has a gangling look and a forlorn expression as he looks up at Iris while consuming all the available real estate on the bed. Coupled with strong performances from Watts and Murray, The Friend could be an emotional journey.

Source: Bleecker Street