A dorky cute-meet and a friendly weekend getaway turns into a bloody tech-horror in Drew Hancock’s thrilling feature debut.

Introduction

My interest was piqued the second I saw the words “from the unhinged creators of Barbarian” in the teaser trailer, alongside seeing the lead, Sophie Thatcher, handcuffed to her chair sitting opposite Jack Quaid at what seems like a very unsettling dinner event. I’m so happy to see Sophie’s career thriving, Scream Queen!

Directed and written by Drew Hancock (My Dead Ex) in his debut feature, Companion mashes multiple genres together with elements of dark comedy, science-fiction and horror. I expected something unusual and out there with its premise, and yes, that is what we got; however, the element of surprise as the film unfolds and the big reveals are shown benefits this film greatly.

Though not completely reliant on the element of surprise for those already in the know, I felt the less you know about the film, the better, which may seem like an obvious statement, but with the way trailers are these days, trust me, go in blind!

The teaser trailer provided enough content for me to know I was sold on it, and once I heard the official trailer pretty much revealed the film’s premise and big twists. I knew I wanted to be in the dark going into the film as much as possible, and thankfully, that paid off tremendously!

Plot Summary

Now, before I do the complete opposite of what I said about the less you know about the film, the better, I’m going into spoiler territory here to discuss the film and its big twist. So, for those who haven’t seen it yet, fair warning: spoilers ahead! And for those of you still here, despite the warning, you have nobody to blame but yourself.

The film opens with the all too familiar “love at first sight” scenario where a young woman, Iris (Sophie Thatcher), recounts the moment she met her boyfriend, Josh (Jack Quaid), at a grocery store. Not all that romantic, but I have heard of stranger places people have met. Anyway, sometime later, the loving couple spends a weekend getaway with their friends, Eli (Harvey Guillén), Patrick (Lukas Gage) and Kat (Megan Suri), at Kat’s rich Russian boyfriend Serey’s (Rupert Friend) sprawling estate.

Nervous at wanting to make a good first impression with Josh’s friends, Iris doesn’t realise that will be the least of her worries. And boy, do things get out of hand real quickly!

This is where the director Hancock puts all of the film’s ideas and themes into play, borrowing elements from films like The Stepford Wives, Ex Machina, and Revenge, among countless others. A premise that feels like it could’ve been an instalment of Black Mirror but on a much larger scale.

If a blood-soaked Iris who just killed creepy Sergey in self-defence wasn’t a shock enough, it was the sudden reveal when a regained conscious Iris, tied to a chair, discovers she is an advanced AI companion, a fully functional, artificial girlfriend, who’s designed to love and obey Josh, seemingly a f*ck bot though Josh disdains the accurate phrase.

It seems that in the not-too-distant future, advanced AI companions have become an integral part of everyday life, designed to cater to human needs, providing emotional support, companionship, and even physical assistance.

With the nightmare revelation that all her memories, her identity and her relationship are all ‘fake’ and apart of her programming, the twists just keep coming as the horror truly sinks in when “nice guy” boyfriend Josh reveals he made adjustments to Iris’ programming to enable her to kill, planning to frame her for Sergey’s death, all so Josh and Kat can steal $12 million from Sergey’s safe while having Eli and Patrick as witnesses to corroborate their story against her.

Talk about stone-cold, heartless bas***ds! She may be an AI companion, but you can’t help but sympathise with Iris’ plight and begin to root for her as she struggles to escape her confinement and avoid being the scapegoat in their sinister plan.

Character Analysis

Scream Queen Sophie Thatcher continues her horror stride as the aloof and insecure Iris with her curtain bangs, headband, and cat-eye, very retro vibes. You can’t help but be drawn to Iris, so earnest about her feelings, clearly a girl in love, and who is essentially the heartbeat of the narrative whose vulnerability gives the film its depth of character. Thatcher perfectly conveys Iris’ innocence and sweetness, instantly making her sympathetic even before the big revelation. In fact, it adds to the horror when we discover that these traits within Iris are a part of her core programming.

Now, don’t get me wrong, Iris isn’t just some fragile doll despite dressing like one, waiting for someone to come and save her; once everything is out on the table, Thatcher brings out that spark and feistiness in Iris we all are rooting for as she goes up against her beloved Josh and the same people she at first was trying to impress.

Iris’ boyfriend Josh, or should I say Richie Kirsch 2.0 (Scream 5 reference), is the sweet, nerdy ‘nice guy’ who’s just tired of being treated like a mug and whose resentment and actions are justified. Jack Quaid has gotten good at playing these particular roles, you know, the overcontrolling boyfriends and man-babies who the world owes everything. Quaid effortlessly plays into his villain role as we witness how Josh’s relationship with Iris has atrophied his empathy and his sadism in his treatment towards her. The film doesn’t go deeper into his character as much as I would’ve liked, but Quaid’s compelling performance still elevated the film’s commentary about the relationship between AI, technology and humans.

As for the rest of the cast, Guillén’s character Eli provides much of the comedy that blends effectively with the underlying dark humour that flows throughout the film as it ramps up its graphic violence. Lucas Gage, spoilers ahead, has fun leaning in the opposite direction of Thatcher’s role, portraying a more stoic and obedient AI robot, and as for Megan Suri’s character Kat and Rupert Friend’s character Sergey, though they both brought strong performances, there isn’t much more to say on as the film’s body count starts to rise quite quickly!

Final Thoughts

A dark comedy at its core while leaning into the sci-fi horror and psychological thriller genre, it is an impressive film debut for director Hancock; I thought it was a clever construct with all its concepts while also being able to keep me engaged along for the bloody, fun ride. I’m quite interested in what he has up his sleeve next in his filmography, whether it will be a direct sequel to Companion or something completely different.

With its fresh premise and ideas, the film provided an interesting role for Thatcher through her character. Going beyond just the appearance of Iris, Thatcher effortlessly shifts among Iris’s emotional settings, conveying a range of feelings, from happiness to confusion to alarmed, frightened, anger, and simple blank expressions. The role required an actress with considerable range, and Thatcher certainly delivered, showcasing her acting chops and adding another fine performance to her growing list of credits.

Once again, going in without any prior knowledge of the movie’s surprises and twists will enhance your viewing experience, but the film works well regardless.

Conclusion

Creatively combining its borrowed concepts with effective comic timing to construct a thrilling narrative, Companion aims to entertain, which it delivers, rather than exploring its themes of body autonomy and technology vs. human relationships. Regardless of the viewer’s preference for how these concepts and themes are explored, one thing can be sure: they are in for a suspenseful experience filled with bloody twists and some devious quips. 

Additionally, if you’re interested in reading more short film reviews or other film topics like recommendations, discussions, etc., I invite you to explore my dedicated film page for everything film-related.

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