Lee Knight’s Oscar-nominated short film, A Friend of Dorothy is a heart-warming tale that speaks on bridging the gap between intergenerational friendships. But an unlikely encounter begins when JJ (Alistair Nwachukwu) accidentally kicks his football into Dorothy’s (Miriam Margolyes) garden. We see their friendship develop overtime as they uncover the best in each other.
Although powerfully the writer and director, Lee Knight manages to cover multiple themes throughout the film’s 21-minute runtime. From the older generation and Gen Z to kindness, empathy, and telling an LGBTQ+ story. Dorothy wonderfully shares her knowledge and passes her wisdom down to the next generation.
A Friend of Dorothy & The Power of Intergenerational Friendships
A Friend of Dorothy speaks on the power of intergenerational conflicts. The short film asks us, ‘what’s the likelihood of a young teen befriending an 87-year-old woman?’ But problems arise around JJ and Dorothy forming an unlikely friendship.
Among her situation is the money-grabbing grandson – Scott (Oscar Lloyd) who has his sights set on her money rather than establishing any familial friendship with her himself. As the family solicitor, Dickie (Stephen Fry) reads out her Will. These scenes highlight the perspective of the older generation and the problems they face. From the possibility of living in a care home to an inherent fear of dying alone. Her son is distant and her grandson is only there to find out what’s going on in her life.
But there’s great imagery too with the football perhaps representing the younger generation and how the clicking of the clock showcases the value of time – imagery that could represent the older generation. A Friend of Dorothy‘s clever use of editing sees us thrown straight into the story and we essentially begin at the end.
We are transported back in time to tell Dorothy’s and JJ’s stories. When he shows interest in literature, Dorothy sees his potential in acting for the stage. Another use of great storytelling and clever editing shows their friendship blossom overtime in a montage sequence. They both exert equal amount of effort to the friendship. And they become the light in each other’s days.
Living Out Your Dreams
JJ sees Dorothy as a person and she understands him. Whilst she sees his undeniable talent in acting and may just give him a chance at living out his own dreams. A Friend of Dorothy clearly has an amazing message behind its story – no matter your generation or background, you deserve the right to be seen. Although, for Dorothy her fight is to overcome the stigma of how people see her for her age and to feel less lonely inside. JJ develops from her unlikely companion into BFF status. But as for JJ, his goal is to become more free and open to being unapologetically himself.
The fight over her Will highlights who really cared about Dorothy as a person. This not only serves as a great message to treat others with kindness but makes us question how we treat our own family members too.
Miriam Margolyes gifts us a powerfully emotional performance and delivers so much. Yet for the screen actress whose work has spanned decades, how she leads this story is truly captivating. Her character dutifully bounces off well with Alistair Nwachukwu’s JJ. They serve as a friendship worth longing for and have a chemistry believable of real-life BFF’s!
A Friend of Dorothy is a short film that will no doubt stay with you. This Oscar-nominated Live-Action Short is available to stream on Disney+ now across UK and Europe. You can read more reviews like this, including The Secret Agent (2025) here.
Rating: 4 Stars
