Naomi Watts stars as a writer who inherits a Great Dane named Apollo and confronts grief and unexpected companionship.

The Friend centers on Iris, a solitary writer living in New York City whose small apartment does not allow animals, and the arrival of Apollo after the death of her mentor. This relationship directly aligns with studies showing how pet ownership, particularly dogs, provides psychological benefits for individuals dealing with grief by reducing anxiety, improving mood, and alleviating loneliness through their consistent, non-judgmental presence. The film’s emotional core explores how care and presence shape mourning and recovery.

Iris’s practical constraints are part of the drama: she lives alone in a tiny apartment that won’t allow animals, complicating her bond with Apollo and highlighting the realities many face regarding pet ownership. The trend of using animals in therapeutic settings, like grief counseling, has been on the rise, reflecting a growing recognition of their role in emotional healing. The film places weight on Apollo’s temperament as much as on human feelings; he is described as sensitive and responsive.

Behind the scenes, theatrical animal trainer Bill Berloni is a named presence in the production and speaks to the challenges of working with large, emotionally attuned dogs. “Great Danes are very sensitive. And they’re, you know – we’d have to find the right dog, and you’d have to build the film around the right dog,” Berloni said, underscoring the care required to put such a relationship on screen. Service dogs are commonly trained using positive reinforcement methods, such as rewards, to build trust and reliable task performance, which reflects the approach taken in the film.

Watts describes both the practical learning curve and the intimacy of the performances. “I needed to start on a training path. And I’m a dog person. I’m not squeamish – slobber all over me, you know, like, whatever,” she said, recounting how she prepared for scenes with the dog. She also reflected on the film’s emotional work: “There was something really beautiful about experiencing grief with another species. It was very healing.” The bond between Iris and Apollo encapsulates how dogs in therapy can aid in recovery from trauma and loss, a theme the film dramatizes on a personal scale.

The cast includes Felix Solis as the building superintendent, anchoring human relationships around Iris as she negotiates duties, memory, and companionship. The film keeps its focus tight: one dog, one central human protagonist, and a small set of characters through whom grief and consolation are explored.

Another Great Dane in the film’s orbit, Bing, is characterized in coverage as a gentle giant with regal bearing and a mournful expression and is noted as having been trained by Bill Berloni. Those physical details — the dog’s size, carriage, and temperament — are part of the film’s language for conveying loss without heavy-handed dialogue.

Watts described a scene where the dog’s responsiveness shaped her performance: “When I started to cry on him, he is suddenly – what can I do to fix this or something’s wrong?” That moment illustrates how the animal’s reactions inform and propel human emotion in the film, creating a back-and-forth that the filmmakers used deliberately.

The Friend frames companionship as a practical, embodied process as much as an emotional experience. The movie foregrounds the day-to-day realities of caring for a large dog in an apartment that technically forbids pets, and it lets the animal’s personality — sensitive, responsive, sometimes mournful — guide the audience into Iris’s interior life.

For viewers interested in conversations about animals and healing, background pieces such as “Healing Paws: How Dogs Aid Recovery from Trauma and Grief” outline the broader ways dogs can support people through loss. As animal-assisted therapy becomes more common, such narratives gain relevance. A public Q&A featuring cast and creators offers further context on working with canine performers and the choices made in staging those scenes.

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