‘Truman’ a beautifully acted look at friendship

The title character in “Truman” is a big, lumbering bull mastiff with a mellow disposition and a sweet, sleepy personality.

There is something else you should know about “Truman:” The film is not about the dog.

Oh, sure, he’s there quite a bit, and a lot of the movie pivots around what is going to happen to the pooch. But the beautifully nuanced film, which was named best picture at the Goya Awards (Spain’s equivalent to the Oscars), is about so much more. And, in its own way, so much less.

Set in Madrid over a four-day period, the focus is on two longtime friends. Julián (Ricardo Darin of “Nine Queens”) is an actor dying of lung cancer who chooses to stop treatment and wait for the inevitable. Truman is his beloved pet, who sleeps and showers with his owner.

Tomás (Almodovar favorite Javier Cámara) is an old pal who gets updates on Julián from the actor’s cousin, Paula (Dolores Fonzi). He flies to Madrid for a quick surprise visit, leaving his wife and children behind in Canada; Julián likes to alternately say that he’s come in from who informs them about the latest options for taking care of the deceased: Did you know there are urns made of salt designed to dissolve in the ocean?

Julián, being an actor, has a flair for drama. He confronts two old friends and rips into them for avoiding him once he became sick. In another encounter, an estranged friend talks to Julián openly about his disease, and he is touched by the gesture. Of course, there is the fact that Julián once slept with his wife, but hey, it all worked out for the best.

Tomás, a quiet, sensible sort, serves as the eyes of the audience, observing Julián’s behavior and interactions. He also bankrolls a lot of what happens; seems that being an actor in Madrid does not leave you with lots of money. Tomás even pays for a quick jaunt to Holland, where the two have lunch with Julián’s college-age son (Oriol Pla) in one of the film’s most quietly affecting moments.

That sequence is interesting because of what isn’t said. Julián decides not to tell his son how grave the situation is. There is a lot of small talk and awkwardness. Still, you get the sense of affection between the two in a way that’s unsentimental, yet quite warm.

The film really soars when the action centers on Julián and Tomás doing little but talking. One morning at 4 a.m., Julián says how he’s reading a book that talks about how your loved ones will greet you after you die. “Greet you where?” Tomás wonders. “I don’t know,” Julián says. “I’m still on the first chapter.”

That’s what the movie gets wonderfully, perfectly right. Julián and Tomás don’t make big proclamations of their love for each other, nor are there shouting matches or grand talks about the meaning of life. Instead, both men use humor to help maneuver through the rough patches. The actors are marvelous; they can communicate with a raised eyebrow, a smirk or a nod (both men won Goya Awards for their performances).

At one point, Tomás questions Julián’s decision not to tell his son about the severity of his condition. “Each person dies the best they can,” Julián mutters, and that’s another instance when the movie just hits the nail on the head: that sense that we’re just going through life, trying to navigate it the best way we can in each moment. There are a lot of things to love about “Truman” — including the dog — but that could be one of its best and biggest attributes.