Our Friend

Story: Based on a true story - when the Teague family is devastated by life-altering news, their friend decides to put his life on hold to live with them.

Review: Matt Teague (Casey Affleck) is a journalist who travels to the world's remote corners to cover stories on war and death. That does not prepare him for the news that his wife Nicole (Dakota Johnson) has cancer, with not much time left. He puts his career on hold to focus on taking care of her and his two young girls Molly (Isabella Kai Rice) and Evie (Violet McGraw). But he doesn’t expect Dane (Jason Segel), Nicole’s college friend, to abandon his life and move across states to be with the Teague family. Dane jeopardizes his job and relationships to help Matt, Molly and Evie as they watch their wife and mother, respectively, slowly slip away.

Dane works at a retail store and wants to be a stand-up comedian, but that doesn’t go too far. He lives with his parents in their house. It’s implied that Dane suffers from depression and could be suicidal, but the film doesn’t delve too deep in that direction. It’s probably a missed opportunity, especially since Jason Segel’s performance is earnest. The actor is convincingly vulnerable as the reliable friend genuinely invested in the Teague family irrespective of his reasons and motivations.

The narrative going back and forth could take you out of the film. But it establishes the relationship between the three leads and balances the heavy moments with happier aspects. Whatever grievances you may have with the treatment, you can’t deny the three lead actors' commitment in their depiction of the fragmented, but unwavering love their characters have for each other. Casey Affleck is contained as Matt, whose calm demeanour is a ticking time bomb. Dakota Johnson also captures the grief of a woman coming to terms with her mortality, as she slowly succumbs to cancer invading her body and mind, but not her spirit. It is excruciating to see her condition decline and the strain it puts on her friendships and marriage.

Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite allows some of the more solemn moments to truly sink in, which often makes this a tough watch. ‘Our Friend’ is a showcase on how friendships and relationships are fortified through hard times with moments of genuine beauty and raw emotion that will pull at your heartstrings without being overly sugary or sentimental.