The director Gabriela Cowperthwaite, who made the stunning documentary Blackfish, orchestrates the action loosely - the pacing is, at best, leisurely - but the character portraits are acute and the three central performances flawless.

Our Friend is a heartbreaking movie, the tears come early and they come often, but it's not without hope.

I was tempted to dismissOur Friendas just another movie about a loved one's battle with a fatal disease. Then I watched it. Yes, it's a tearjerker, but it's derived from a first-person article and has three exceptional performances

I could have spent so much time with these characters in this story but it would have required another box of tissues to get through an extended run time.