Our Friend – A Moving Drama About Friendship (Early Review)

I initially watched Our Friend on opening weekend at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019. Despite a very crowded lineup featuring some of the best films the year had to offer, Our Friend remained one of the standouts. The film blew me away and I have been anxiously awaiting to discuss it ever since. After being delayed for two entire calendar years, Our Friend is finally releasing on digital and VOD in Canada and I could not recommend it enough.

Gabriela Cowperthwaite began her career as a documentarian, attaining international recognition in 2013 with her terrifying and highly controversial sophomore directorial effort Blackfish, a film that exposed the corrupt nature of the sea-park industry and the corporation Seaworld in particular. The film received glowing reviews from critics and widely seen by general audiences, which is very rare for a documentary. After establishing herself as one of the most talented documentarians currently working, many were shocked when she announced she would be immediately transitioning to narrative filmmaking. While it took some time for her to find her footing within the realm of narrative filmmaking, she has finally struck gold with her latest feature. 

Our Friend stars a trifecta of brilliant A-listers in Jason Segel, Casey Affleck and Dakota Johnson. The film is adapted from the novel The Friend by Matthew Teague, which depicts the true story of a man named Dane (Segel) who puts his life on hold to live with his best friends, Matt (Affleck) and Nicole (Johnson), and help take of their kids, when he finds out that Nicole is suffering from terminal cancer. 

There are a few elements that separate Our Friend from other cancer dramas, one of which is its hopeful outlook on life. While the film is heartbreaking and never shies away from the detrimental impact that cancer can have on all parties involved, it is inevitably a film about love, embracing life, and above all, friendship. Many people write off Segel as a comedic actor but he has delivered some incredible dramatic performances over the years while his performance here is easily one of, if not his best to date. He is so natural in this role and brings so much humanity to the film, that a lesser actor would not be able to pull off. He has impeccable chemistry with Affleck and Johnson, giving the audience the sense that the three of them have a lifelong, meaningful friendship, which contributes to the emotional impact of the film. Meanwhile, Affleck is phenomenal as always as Matt, but it is Johnson who really shines in her role as Nicole, a woman who is suffering from terminal cancer and prioritizes everyone else before herself. 

The film is a sprawling drama that spans years and is tells its story in a non-linear structure. It is tremendously well-shot and operates within a scope that is much larger than one would typically expect from this kind of film. Throughout its two hour running time, viewers grow to truly care and empathize with these characters, as the way they are portrayed is so authentic. A lesser director would choose to focus exclusively on the cancer storyline, but Cowperthwaite decides to make this a film about the importance of friendship and how tragic situations can strengthen bonds and make you a better person in the process. 

While some critics may view the film as schmaltzy, Our Friend is a beautiful depiction of friendship and the light those bonds bring to the darkest moments in our lives. 

still courtesy of Elevation Pictures

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Tristan French