Director: Drew Hancock
Writers: Drew Hancock
Stars: Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage
Synopsis: A billionaire’s death sets off a chain of events for Iris and her friends during a weekend trip to his lakeside estate.
The idea of women being objects of control in a misogynistic world has a long history in Hollywood. You may think of The Stepford Wives from back in 1975 (or God help you, the 2004 remake) and the more recent Don’t Worry Darling. But, of course, both of those films featured actual human women being changed by their devious husbands. With the advent of changing technology and the possibility of robotic romantic companions, things change at the movies, as well. As recently as 2014, we experienced a film that featured a human falling in love with an AI, in Ex Machina. That film was set apart from the real world to enable the one-on-one connection to build. But what about a robotic entity that was literally designed for pleasure and, well, companionship?
Thankfully, new trailers of Companion decided to ignore the mystery of whether or not Iris (Sophie Thatcher) was human or robotic. Honestly, because of the way Thatcher moves her body, it seems patently obvious that she is not human from the very first scene. That scene is a meet-cute with her and her partner, Josh (Jack Quaid). Via her own voiceover narration, she describes this as one of two moments where the veil lifts and things became clear. The other is, of course, when she kills him. This narration, from writer Drew Hancock, immediately sets the stage for the kind of film we are in for. Unsubtle, violent, and honestly, pretty fun!
As the film picks up after said meeting, Josh and Iris are headed to a lake getaway with some friends. All attending are partnered, but Iris is under the impression that the friends don’t like her. This is especially true of Kat (Megan Suri), whose boyfriend, Sergey (Rupert Friend, sporting a ridiculous Russian accent), owns the lake house. To round out the group, Eli (Harvey Guillén) and Patrick (Lukas Gage) also attend the vacation frivolities.
The first twenty minutes are interesting, but mostly unnecessary, as Hancock (also the director) attempts to keep up the ruse that Iris is just a normal girl on vacation with her nice guy boyfriend. If you weren’t aware simply due to the physical cues, Kat’s treatment of her makes it patently obvious. But luckily, Thatcher’s nearly perfect performance carries you through the awkward moments. Things eventually go awry, because of course they do, but thank goodness, because this is when Companion really takes off.
Every time the film teeters on the edge of being predictable and boring, Hancock throws in a neat little twist to keep the audience engaged. There are a few missed opportunities to make interesting statements about attraction, but the twists still work. Certain details about Iris, like her adjustable intelligence levels and vocal quality (both language and style) feature inspired technical aural and visual qualities that might sink a lesser actress. Luckily, Thatcher is always game for these moments, is never overshadowed, and provides a character worth rooting for at every turn.
There is, unsurprisingly, a needlessly complicated plot that, if there wasn’t a science fiction element to fall back on, could easily be annoying. Unfortunately, Hancock leans on this plot and the subsequent friendship-severing arguments too heavily. We are always left wondering, shouldn’t we be with Iris right now? Basically, any time that Thatcher is not on screen, the movie immediately slows to a crawl and focus is lost.
However, as the movie ramps up towards its climax, Companion is genuinely some of the most fun you can have at the movies. A badass heroine to root for, bloody violence, and punishment for the wicked. What’s not to like? I am not sure that it has a message of depth about misogyny, other than that it is terrible and deserves to be stomped out, although that may pass for a powerful message given our current political climate. But hey, sometimes a good time is more than enough and Companion certainly delivers exactly that.