Companion Review

From the team that brought audiences the horror hit Barbarian and the studio of The Notebook is a darkly funny film about a toxic relationship.

Iris (Sophie Thatcher) and Josh (Jack Quaid) are a couple in love and plan to spend the weekend at a Russian oligarch’s lake house. Iris is given a chance to get to know Josh’s friends. The visit takes a dark turn when Sergey (Rupert Friend) tries to have his wicked way with Iris.

Companion has been marketed as a rom-com turned horror film. The trailer was shown before many horror movies and adult-ordinated movies. In the UK, it was a secret horror screening at the Odeon and Cineworld chains. This was misleading since Companion was a sci-fi thriller mixed with a dark comedy.

Early in the film, it was revealed that Iris was a robot designed to be a companion for lonely people. Companion was more like Black Mirror, Humans, and Ex Machina in that it examined the relationship between robots and humans and showed a robot taking control of her destiny. It wasn’t a Terminator-style story where a robot goes on a rampage. Companion’s audience will be rooting for the robot.

Iris was limited by rules and regulations, similar to Asimov’s robotics. Companions couldn’t harm people or other robots, lie, or exceed human limits in strength and intelligence. Josh controlled Iris through his smartphone, so she was literally in a controlling relationship and had to fight for her independence.

Companion can be compared to Blink Twice. Both were #MeToo thrillers that explored a dark subject matter yet told it in an entertaining manner. Companion was filled with jet-black humour and the audience I was with was having a blast with it. Companion was funnier than a lot of comedies. Some stand-out jokes included Iris -thinking about an escape plan, and a memory getting changed and it was a film filled with witty lines and exchanges throughout. The writer/director, Drew Hancock, came from a TV comedy and he used that experience for his directional debut.

Companion did have an excellent screenplay. Iris had many limitations that she had to work around. An example was Iris needing to find a workaround for her honesty protocols. It was hilarious and clever. Companion was a film with many twists and turns that will keep audiences on their toes.

Sophie Thatcher is an actress, having been in Yellowjackets, The Boogeyman, and Heretic. Companion gave Thatcher her best role so far. She had a lot to work with as her character asked questions about the nature of love, making a life-changing discovery, and eventually attempting a fight back against her abuser. Thatcher’s performance and look had a quality that matched Emma Stone’s. Considering Stone has won two Oscars, she’s not a bad actress to be compared to.

Thatcher was surrounded by a strong supporting cast. Quaid gave another weaselly performance as the villain of the piece who exploited Iris for his gains. Lukas Gage and Megan Suri were vastly different from their previous horror roles. They went from scummy drug dealer to handsome gay guy and haunted high schooler to evil manipulator.

Companion was a highly entertaining film that was hilarious, and explored serious issues about the treatment of women.