Friends are the family we choose – as hackneyed and cliched as this adage may be, there is a reason it has adorned many wooden kitchen signs and social media captions. There’s nothing quite like finding someone with whom you have a lot in common, and allowing a natural connection to form as a result, and cinema has been built on the idea of friendship as one of the most universal subjects, since we all understand the power of a solid companionship. Yet, it isn’t always easy to find these people, and in many instances, they tend to be hiding in plain sight or emerge through unexpected circumstances. This was something that Tracie Laymon discovered for herself when she accidentally befriended a man named Bob Laymon on Facebook, believing that she was connecting with her estranged father (and the lack of a clear profile picture only fueled the confusion), not realising that the person on the other end was an entirely different person – but rather than allowing this awkward moment to fade away, the pair form a solid friendship, becoming pen pals before eventually meeting and discovering that they bring something to each other’s lives that they had both been missing, proving that some of the most beautiful experiences are those which tend to emerge quite unexpectedly. Laymon uses her experiences as the foundation for Bob Trevino Likes It, her feature-length directorial debut in which she retells her own story (with a couple of embellishments, as well as the necessary changes to names and locations for the sake of both privacy and artistic license), which becomes her impetus for creating one of the most tender and surprisingly moving comedies of the past year, a simple but effective comedy that is steeped heavily in her own experiences. It’s a film that offers exactly what it promises on the surface, being a wonderfully endearing and quietly devastating exploration of the human condition, as told through the perspective of a pair of characters who have yet to fully understand how to embrace a world that they don’t quite know how to navigate, making their way through each day and embracing each and every challenge as it arrives.

It goes without saying that friendship is a concept that has been extensively covered in film, and that it is very rare to find a work that can actually say something new on the subject. This is not only because there are so many stories based around the topic, but there’s no universal set of guidelines that dictates an ideal friendship, and therefore, they will all be entirely bespoke. This has allowed us to find stories that may seem familiar from a distance, but have certain unique qualities that draw us in – and the subject on which Bob Trevino Likes It is certainly compelling enough to pique our curiosity. We often find stories about friendship tend to look at people in relatively similar age groups, since it seems only natural that we would gravitate towards those who are most similar to us. However, there is something to be said about intergenerational friendships, where people from wildly different backgrounds find themselves becoming unexpectedly close as a result of some shared connection that transcends the usual boundaries, and instead allows them to embrace that common ground more than allowing themselves to be dictated by the status quo. Laymon knows that these stories are powerful, since she lived them herself, experiencing the joy and frenzy that comes with meeting someone who shares a similar outlook, with the only caveat being that he was far older, and where the spark of their connection came out as a result of a hurried accident. Nonetheless, Laymon uses this as the opportunity to weave a film that is quietly bold in how it looks at friendship across generations – and at no point does it veer towards the romantic in any way (there are a few moments where it makes a few jokes that lean in that direction, but they’re purely contextual). choosing instead to find value in a purely platonic friendship between two profoundly lonely individuals. Through this, Bob Trevino Likes It becomes as much about friendship as it does about the feeling of being isolated and alienated from your peers, as well as the challenges of difficult domestic situations, all of which are deftly woven together by this film.

To bring this film to life, the director enlists a pair of exceptionally talented actors who are as intentionally mismatched as the characters they are playing. We’ve often seen some of the most meaningful collaborations emerge when directors take a chance, which is precisely what we see transpiring with the decision to cast Barbie Ferreira and John Leguizamo as the leads of Bob Trevino Likes It, in which they are both capable of showing their extraordinary skills. Ferreira is the centrepiece of the film, the person whose perspective we follow quite closely, and who acts as our de facto guide through this film. What makes her performance so incredible is her natural magnetism – she has a particular quality that is difficult to ignore, the sense of pensiveness and sensitivity that is deliberately undercut by a wicked sense of humour and the ability to capture something truly extraordinary in even the most subtle of moments. She has a certain je ne sais quois that is brilliantly showcased throughout the film, leading to a performance that is as layered as it is deeply meaningful. She has done solid work in the past, but it is this film that truly proves that she’s going to be one of the most promising stars of her generation. Conversely, Leguizamo has been embraced widely for decades, coming to be seen as a vital voice in not only the Latino community in Hollywood, but also as one of the industry’s most valuable commodities, someone who always delivers stellar work, even when the roles may not always be there for him. Nevertheless, as the titular character in Bob Trevino Likes It, he is absolutely wonderful – much like Ferreira, he takes a somewhat simple character and uses his natural charisma to make him such a well-crafted, meaningful individual, which is certainly the result of both the director’s affection for her late friend, and Leguizamo’s ability to infuse the character with so much heart and soul. The chemistry between the two leads is stellar (and this isn’t even taking into account the supporting work being done by French Stewart, an extraordinary but underrated actor who is showing his own versatility with this role), and anchors the film, allowing it to be a far more nuanced affair than we would have expected based on a glance.

A glimpse at the premise of Bob Trevino Likes It would lead you to believe it is a wildly offbeat comedy of manners, a film built on mistaken identity and the fallout once the truth has been revealed. To an extent, this is true – the film is exceptionally funny, and the interactions between Lily and Bob are often filled with humour, enough to elicit an abundance of laughter from the audience, who are nonetheless going to be taken by the sincerity of the comedy present throughout the film. However, it is also a film that knows how to show restraint, and while it could have very easily been a wacky, off-the-wall comedy, Laymon chooses instead to keep everything grounded – this story does not earn anything by being flippant, but it does win us over through its deep sincerity, which is the approach the director takes when crafting the film. Without any doubt, this is a film that tackles intense topics – loneliness, addiction, mental health and domestic strife are not easy subjects to explore, but they are the cornerstones of this story, and needed to be addressed. In the hands of someone who didn’t see the inherent beauty in this story, Bob Trevino Likes It would have been an overwrought jumble, an intensely emotional melodrama that lacks any nuance, especially when it comes to looking at how the friendship between the two characters ended (or rather took on an entirely different form), which is beyond heartbreaking. Yet, in terms of both the comedy and tragedy embedded in this story, Laymon works to find the perfect balance, and the film reflects this in every scene, becoming a brilliant blend of heart and humour, which do not need to be mutually exclusive. The funnier moments are underpinned by a lingering sense of melancholy, while the more difficult situations are often punctuated with some gentle, well-meaning humour. In both areas, the film is a wonderful reminder of the value of friendship, even when it can occasionally tackle topics that we do find to be slightly uncomfortable, but where the execution is nothing if not wholeheartedly moving in how it examines these challenging subjects.

This is a film that seems unassuming at the start, but has layers and complexities that only reveal themselves gradually, and hinge entirely on the audience’s ability to engage critically with a story that tackles some very difficult conversations. Bob Trevino Likes It is a poignant examination of a fascinating friendship, proving the value of seeking connections wherever they’re made available, and through taking a chance, the most unexpected connections can be formed, should we be willing to walk through that proverbial door when life opens it for us. It’s not a particularly complex affair, since it follows some familiar patterns, and adds a few additional details to make the story more cinematic, especially in terms of working from a common set of tropes that gives it an automatic sense of structure. It’s not a film that needs to be innovative or daring to be considered effective – all it needs is a lot of heart and soul, which Laymon is more than happy to provide in abundance. Whether this is her way of working through the trauma she amassed as an adolescent, or simply an artistic recreation of a scenario in which she found herself (and which is objectively a very funny situation), remains to be seen, but there is an authenticity to this film that keeps us engaged. It would be difficult to not be moved by this wonderfully compelling portrait of a friendship that is borne unexpectedly, but weathers some intimidating storms, proving that two people can know each other for a very short span of time, but still find ways to influence each other. A good friend echoes your affirmations, a great friend challenges them, and there is nothing more beautiful than two people relishing in their moments spent together, helping make their individual lives more joyful, and influencing those who surround them. Charming, captivating and anchored by a pair of tremendous performances that guide this film, Bob Trevino Likes It is a wonderfully moving film, and the rare kind of comedy that elicits genuine laughter and heartfelt empathy, often at the same time, which is truly what makes this a special and deeply compassionate work of humanistic filmmaking.