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The Friend

Parents guide · ClearAge age 15+ · Official M

Movie 2025 119 min Comedy, Drama Checked by Dan S · 29 Sep 2026
Official Rating M ClearAge 15+

What we flagged

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Sex and Nudity
Mild
Language
Strong

Our take

A writer grieving her mentor also cares for the Great Dane he left behind in this M-rated drama. Heavy pet-linked grief, suicide references, strong profanity, and mature relationship dialogue sit at the center. Emotional weight runs high while on-screen violence stays minimal. ClearAge puts it with adults and mature older teens.

Uplifting themes

Dogs and friends hold people through grief again and again on screen. Suicide is treated as something that devastates the living, which parents may want to unpack afterward Iris keeps showing up as a reliable friend and will not dump Apollo into a bad situation, even when her apartment and job are at risk. Her compassion stays quiet and stubborn, never flashy

Story (may spoil tone)

New York City writer Iris finds her comfortable, solitary life thrown into disarray after her closest friend and mentor bequeaths her a Great Dane named Apollo. The huge dog immediately creates practical problems for Iris, from furniture destruction to eviction notices, as well as more existential ones. Yet as Iris finds herself unexpectedly bonding with Apollo, she begins to come to terms with her past, and her own creative inner life.

What we flagged

View all categories

Sex and Nudity
Mild
Language
Strong

Details

Language Strong New York literary conversations and arguments lean on the f-word and s-…

New York literary conversations and arguments lean on the f-word and s-word often, plus a-word and prick. The swearing is steady adult talk, not a few stressed outbursts

Sex / nudity Mild Conversation covers sex and past encounters, and Iris changes behind fr…

Conversation covers sex and past encounters, and Iris changes behind frosted glass where a nude outline is briefly visible but not clear. There is no graphic sex scene

Drugs / alcohol Mild Wine and champagne show up in apartments and gatherings, and a younger…

Wine and champagne show up in apartments and gatherings, and a younger supporting character gets drunk. The drinking stays social inside the literary circle, with no drug plot

Self-harm / suicide Moderate Suicide references thread through the mentor's legacy and keep surfacin…

Suicide references thread through the mentor's legacy and keep surfacing as Iris lives with what he left behind. Those mentions sit inside the grief story, not as a one-line aside

Sexual violence Mild Dialogue includes a sexual-assault reference with no graphic depiction…

Dialogue includes a sexual-assault reference with no graphic depiction on screen. Parents should know the mention is there even though nothing is shown

Bullying / discrimination Mild We did not see bullying in this one

We did not see bullying in this one

Gore / death / weapons Mild We did not see gore in this one

We did not see gore in this one

Dangerous behaviour Mild We did not see dangerous behavior in this one

We did not see dangerous behavior in this one

Eating disorders / body image Mild We did not see eating in this one

We did not see eating in this one

Mental health Mild Conversation covers depression and anxiety, and one therapy session pla…

Conversation covers depression and anxiety, and one therapy session plays out at some length. Emotional support is treated as real work, not a throwaway line

Gambling Mild We did not see gambling in this one

We did not see gambling in this one

Grief / bereavement Strong Sudden death of her mentor flattens Iris, and caring for the Great Dane…

Sudden death of her mentor flattens Iris, and caring for the Great Dane he left behind deepens that weight. Grief runs through the whole film, including Apollo's mourning, and the dog does not die on screen

Flashing lights We have not confirmed whether this version contains flashing lights.

We have not confirmed whether this version contains flashing lights.

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Talk after watching

  • Grief arrives through a dog and unfinished friendship. How do people honor someone after they are gone?
  • The lead's solitude shifts when responsibility arrives. What helps when loss feels overwhelming?