The Friend at Luna

Details: Written by: Nita Teoh; Category: Arts & Culture; Published: 20 July 2025

The-Friend-Luna

Naomi Watts (as Iris) and Bing (as Apollo) in The Friend
Photo Credit: Bleecker Street

On a gorgeous sunny Saturday, I wandered down Oxford St looking forward to watching “The Friend” at Luna Leederville with a few friends.

Being a lover of dogs, the movie trailer caught my attention as all dog movies do!

The story revolves around the main character Iris (Naomi Watts) living in a pet-free New York apartment, who reluctantly takes on a Great Dane by the name of Apollo (played by Bing) when her close friend and mentor Walter (Murray) passes unexpectedly and bequeaths his dearest and best fido friend to her.

Apollo is quite a character and suffering from grief himself of the loss of his dear master, and along with Iris not being a dog person and living in a small apartment together, it causes all kinds of challenging issues for the pair as they temporarily settle into life together.

Though The Friend has some funny moments scattered throughout, it also tackles some serious issues about coping with grief when you lose a close friend and how Iris continues to explore the challenges of her writing career as a novelist amidst disruption and change in her life.

As I write this review, I have a young, beautiful big black Labrador guide dog in training by the name of Von by my side – looking up at me with his soulful eyes to seek my attention and to ask me what could be more important than paying him some attention rather than staring at my computer doing whatever you funny humans do typing at the keyboard!

For me, Apollo (played by Bing) was my favourite actor in the movie. He is a champ with his clever acting - well done dear Bing!

Dogs are truly special – and if you are a dog lover, you will enjoy this bonza of a heart warming movie about the special bond between dogs and their humans.

Adapted from the novel by Sigrid Nunez and cleverly crafted by writing-directing team Scott McGehee and David Siegel, The Friend will pull at your heart strings.

The Friend officially opens at Luna on 31 July.

As per the Luna website, you can also catch a special advanced screening on 24 July at Luna Leederville, Windsor and Luna on SX from 6pm with complimentary chocolate on arrival (while stocks last) and a $10 Kir Royal before the film starts at 6.30pm.

Share a pic of your pup and tag @lunapalacecinemas and #TheFriend between now and July 22 to win tickets to the special advanced screening.

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