Meu Companheiro Fiel (2024)★ 5.8/10

Não tenho certeza de como o romance original foi escrito, mas se um enredo como esse pode se tornar um best-seller, podemos questionar os padrões dos “best-sellers”. A única coisa que me chamou a atenção foi Naomi Watts e suas cenas com Val. Além disso, grande parte da história parecia desconcertante — especialmente a reconciliação forçada entre ela e a primeira ex-esposa, que acrescentou pouca profundidade emocional ou necessidade narrativa.

Si bien no sé cómo se escribió la novela original, creo que si una trama como ésta puede convertirse en un éxito de ventas, realmente te hace cuestionar los estándares de los “bestsellers”. Lo único que mantuvo mi atención fue Naomi Watts y sus escenas con Val. Más allá de eso, gran parte de la historia se sentía desconcertante, en particular la reconciliación forzada entre ella y la primera exesposa, que añadía poca profundidad emocional o necesidad narrativa.

The film feels aimless, with scattered storytelling and emotionally flat delivery. The voiceovers contribute nothing and could easily have been cut. During the Q&A, Naomi Watts barely spoke while the director kept repeating “it’s a New York story,” which was more tedious than insightful. The representation of Asian characters also felt oddly off, bordering on tokenism.

I’m not sure how the original novel was written, but if a plot like this can become a bestseller, it really makes you question the standards of "bestsellers". The only thing that held my attention was Naomi Watts and her scenes with Val. Beyond that, much of the story felt baffling—particularly the forced reconciliation between her and the first ex-wife, which added little emotional depth or narrative necessity.

While on vacation in Hollywood (ooh la la) I obviously had to see a movie. Funnily enough, I chose the most “New York” movie out there. THE FRIEND is a drama based on a book by Sigrid Nunez about a writer named Iris (Naomi Watts). Her best friend Walter (Bill Murray) commits suicide, leaving her to deal with the grief of the loss, his many exes, and a Great Dane called Apollo. Living in a tiny apartment building, her landlord is urging her to move out because of Apollo. This dog is a huge scene stealer, very expressive and such a good boy. Yes he is. He reminds us that he’s grieving right alongside Iris. They start to bond, even though she’s not a dog person. This movie shows how one person can affect the people around them in different ways. There are thought-provoking and fascinating conversations that take place here. Taking control of your life can look like a variety of things, small or big. Apollo could be seen as a metaphor for a few things, depending on who’s asking. THE FRIEND will resonate with dog-owners and everyone who has experienced loss, which is probably most people.