Companion reveals a sharp, unexpected, awesome twist early in the film. Even describing the premise to someone with no prior knowledge of the film would be like spoiling major narrative elements. The non-spoiler section of this review will therefore be brief.
Iris (Sophie Thatcher) and Josh (Jack Quaid) seem to have a perfect relationship, a perfect meet-cute, a perfect life. They’re en route to a very remote cabin getaway with Josh’s friends in their self-driving car, a luxurious if not slightly creepy automotive luxury. Before entering, Iris is suddenly terrified at the prospect of making things bad, of Josh’s friends not liking her, of saying the wrong thing or otherwise being a bad girlfriend. Josh merely instructs her to “remember to smile and act happy!” Things are off-kilter at the cabin, where Iris is met with awkwardness after a long rant on her need to love and care for Josh at all times, and her attempt at post-coitally speaking with Josh about her feelings about the trip is met with a blunt “go to sleep, Iris.” The sharpness in his tone makes something about the seemingly perfect love story feel suddenly very wrong.
Spoilers Below
In the most complimentary way possible, Companion feels like it could be an episode of Goosebumps. Companion is zany, properly twisty, and somewhat thematically interesting without becoming overzealous. It’s tight, fast-paced, and though much of the characterization is thin, it’s fun and fleet enough to enjoy regardless. The sudden twist revealed early on in the film, to both the audience and the protagonist herself, is that Iris is a robot, made to be a loving partner to Josh, who controls her actions with his phone and the sound of his voice. Josh, and his friends Kat (Megan Suri), Eli (Harvey Guillén), and Patrick (Lukas Gage) have all conspired to have Iris, with her aggression settings increased, kill Kat’s extremely wealthy Russian boyfriend Sergey (Rupert Friend) by convincing him to make sexual advances onto Iris. With her perfect headband updo and pink two-piece set drenched in blood (an iconographic image and surefire Halloween costume hit), Iris returns and confesses to killing him in self-defense. She is then restrained to a chair prior to being shut off, but not before Josh explains to her that she is a robot, and offers a reluctant goodbye. But Josh and his crew forget about the knife still planted in Iris’ possession, who escapes and flees into the forest, where the real thriller fun begins.
Companion’s success is owed primarily to Sophie Thatcher’s performance, who makes the plight of a robot feel deeply human. The film doesn’t offer much about the entire friend group ensemble, apart from Josh and his relationship to Iris, and they feel more decorative than anything, their motivations merely convenient and half-baked. The romance between Eli and Patrick isn’t a very compelling subplot, and seems to serve the film only as a plot device; the direction of Patrick’s character makes for a few funny moments, but ultimately, this is Iris’ story. Once in possession of Josh’s phone, she finally exerts control over her own skills and behaviors, particularly in increasing her intelligence from 40% to 100%. Her battle not just for survival, but for autonomy, makes her a compelling protagonist (robotic final girl?), as do the shenanigans that her technological controls grant her. The violence is clever and inventive, with keen plays on domesticity and romance, as well as various technological thrills and jumpscares.
With a film this thrilling and fast-paced, there isn’t much thematically to chew on – but perhaps that is for the best. Companion falters with its thin attempts at social commentary – when Jack gripes about the world being so unfair to him, it’s slightly funny, but it also borders on making the film a blunt criticism against misogyny without anything really new or fascinating to say. It’s uninteresting and a little bit tired in the genre as a whole at this point, weakening the film and making it vaguely reminiscent of the bloated, hamfisted metaphors in Promising Young Woman or Don’t Worry Darling. Without these moments, the film plays as a really exciting revenge thriller, which makes a humanoid Stepford Wives-style robot an awesome protagonist – it’s an imperfect spin on the loving, quasi-suburban romantic partner, but it’s not entirely unsuccessful. The power of Companion is in what can be taken away from Iris’ character and experiences, in her unending desire to live and to maintain control over her life and being, which is not unlike that of Barbie, but far dirtier and more violent. And apart from all of this, Companion is a lot of fun, with thrilling moments and nasty scenes of gore. It isn’t entirely overzealous, and manages to be a twist-filled fun thriller with a lead character so good, you would hardly believe she’s not human.
Companion
2025
dir. Drew Hancock
97 min.
Opens Friday, 1/31 @ Capitol Theatre Arlington, Kendall Square Cinema, Apple Cinemas Cambridge, Alamo Drafthouse Boston Seaport, and all local AMCs
