Drew Hancock’s “Companion” is a few couple’s retreat in a lake home surrounded by miles of forest and isolation.
The central couple is Josh (Jack Quaid), who proudly accompanies Iris (Sophie Thatcher), who visibly adores him. Josh and Iris are met by two different {couples}, all searching for escape and rest however holding secrets and techniques that threaten to unravel the character of their relationships.
What sort of secrets and techniques are we speaking about? The type that I need to watch out to not spoil, although my spouse noticed the teaser trailer months in the past and guessed the massive twist instantly.
My level is A. My spouse is quite a bit sharper than I’m, clearly and B. When you don’t know what “Companion” is about and need to see this uninformed, cease studying now and are available again after. Minor spoilers will observe.
“Companion” is an eerie, brutal and darkly humorous work. This is without doubt one of the few movies that I haven’t stopped fascinated about, as its central themes have adopted me house.
Maybe the early scenes characteristic dialog that’s too on the nostril, hinting all too clearly on the huge twist across the nook. But, as soon as every thing is out within the open, the plot presents potentialities, not inevitabilities. When it looks like the movie is settling into its style, there’s one other whammy of a confrontation across the nook.
To lastly get to it, this performs like a up to date twist on “The Stepford Wives” (1975) and even opens with the protagonist pushing a purchasing cart (the signature picture of each the unique movie and the wonky, responsible pleasure 2004 remake).
Jack Quaid Was ‘Determined’ to Star in ‘Companion’
Whereas geeking out over comedian books in New York, the actor remembers “shaking” throughout his preliminary assembly with writer-director Drew Hancock.
Interview: https://t.co/nuj0tzi9OB pic.twitter.com/s1mmPlmudB
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) February 4, 2025
Hancock makes a formidable author/director debut, and he’s aided enormously by a robust, downright fantastic efficiency from Thatcher (who was terrific in “Heretic” simply months in the past). Iris is a tricky character to get proper, and Thatcher made me care deeply about her.
Quaid brings some efficient layers to his character, by no means permitting us to determine precisely how we really feel about him till the very finish. Within the flashiest supporting position, Harvey Guillén of “What We Do within the Shadows” (the place he performs Guillermo) manages to steal each single scene he’s in.
A repeated flashback, involving a dinosaur costume and a dance-off that follows, is pleasant when introduced the primary time and hysterical when revisited with a brand new twist. The notion of reminiscence as depicted right here is very efficient.
So far as popular culture cinema philosophy goes, this may make an amazing double characteristic with “The Matrix” (1999).
Whereas not on the extent with “Blade Runner” (1982) or its sequel, “Companion” manages some visible and thematic references to “{Hardware}” (1990) and “A.I. Synthetic Intelligence” (2001). I discovered it haunting in the way it explores how {couples} typically “weaponize love” and, human or in any other case, all of us fall sufferer to programming.
In preserving Iris not solely the main target but additionally weak and likable, it counters expectations. Who’s the viewers meant to root for? The reply isn’t simple. “Companion” is neither professional or anti-A.I. however an exploration of how reminiscence, emotions and realized habits can both make us empathetic works in progress or self-serving monsters.
Hancock presents a sadly believable futurist premise. Classifying the story as from the “close to future” is a attain, because the occasions of this film solely really feel, at most, a decade away.
Compared, “M3GAN” (2022) looks like escapism, whereas this comes throughout as a dire warning. The entire thing is bold and thought scary, even because the deviously entertaining third act lastly leans into style expectation and character payoffs.
“Companion” has enjoyable shuffling style expectations in ways in which jogged my memory of “Heat Our bodies” (one other love story!), although this one is a bitter valentine. When you’re planning to take a particular somebody to see this on a date, it is going to both create nice dialog afterwards or be sufficient of a flip off to change into a break-up film.
All of it relies on your programming.
Three and a Half Stars (out of 4)