After losing his football in her yard, teenager JJ (Alistair Nwachukwu) finds a friend in Dorothy (Miriam Margolyes), an elderly widow who lives by herself and needs aid in opening a stubborn can of prunes. Their platonic bond is strengthened as Dorothy—who owns a wide library of plays and once funded the education of aspiring drama students along with her late husband—fosters JJ’s inner theatre kid by requesting him to read out a play to her whenever he visits.
In a similar vein to Tracie Laymon’s equally touching feature, “Bob Trevino Likes It,” “A Friend of Dorothy” highlights a friendship between two strangers with an age difference that’s built on mutual affinity and respect. The blossoming albeit short-lived relationship between its two leads can be likened to the one shared between Barbie Ferreira’s Lily and John Leguizamo’s Trevino in the former … with Dorothy acting as a maternal figure and looking out for JJ’s best interests. Simultaneously, the movie serves as a love letter to the arts. Dorothy helps the young, budding actor out of his shell and gain confidence in his true passion—encouraging him to consider theatre as a serious career rather than merely pursuing it as a hobby.
Positive Representation and Allyship
“A Friend of Dorothy” also features a positive representation of the queer community and allyship by depicting JJ’s sexuality with nuance and tastefulness. The colloquial term ‘A friend of Dorothy’ which initially was used as a code within the community during an era when homosexuality was deemed illegal, also takes on a renewed meaning here. Due to their friendship, open-minded Dorothy introduces her new friend to n historic play which challenges homophobic persecution and celebrates queerness or being ‘different’, further allowing JJ to be comfortable in his own skin.
Miriam Margolyes, known for her comedic supporting roles, takes the lead here and also flexes her dramatic chops. Unlike the fiendish, vindictive, and controlling mother she played in the horror-comedy “Ed and His Dead Mother,” Margolyes’ Dorothy is far sweeter and less sinister in nature. One also sympathises with the character’s very natural fear of growing old alone without anyone for company or to share her passion for theatre with. Up until JJ’s arrival, Dorothy’s sole distant relatives include an absentee son and a snobbish grandson, the former whom we never see and the latter who only visits when she’s injured or for the reading of her last will and testament. Her only other companions include the birds in her loft and yard, who arrive during the mating season for regular bonking sessions (as she terms it).
Complex Yet Light-hearted
The chemistry between Margolyes and co-star Alistair Nwachukwu (of “Shadow and Bone” fame) is also endearing, lending charm to a pair who are distant in age yet see and validate each other. Along with the out and proud Margolyes, yet another queer icon, Stephen Fry rounds out the cast in a cameo as a stern and sensible will attorney.
Overall, “A Friend of Dorothy” is as complex as it is light-hearted and humorous. It’s not just a story about a selfless, kindred kinship but also doubles as a bittersweet insight into familial negligence. It ultimately demonstrates the importance of checking in on one’s elderly relatives and not taking them for granted in their time of need.
The HollyShorts Film Festival takes place August 8–17, 2025, in Los Angeles, California.
