There was a point when it came to initially reviewing Companion that I was thinking how difficult it would be to navigate around certain plot points, given that Drew Hancock‘s horror-leaning, sci-fi adjacent, romantic thriller bets on a particular narrative reveal. It’s one that I wasn’t dare going to spoil – I had the luck of seeing this free of any pre-word – and I hope many others enter this in much the same capacity.
Then the official trailer came out and, understandably, in a bid to get butts on seats – and, no doubt, take advantage of the burgeoning era of robotic intelligence and AI usage that we seem so in the thick of – a major plot point was revealed (spoiled?) for all. It isn’t ideal, but it makes sense, and, thankfully, Hancock has enough up his sleeve across Companion‘s tight 97 minutes that even knowing this narrative hook doesn’t take away from the other surprises he deliciously conjures.
Said narrative hook revolves around Iris (Sophie Thatcher, continuing her fantastic genre run as of late, following both MaXXXine and Heretic last year), a sweet-natured, all-too-eager to please, picture perfect girlfriend type, who’s blissfully in love with the seemingly charming Josh (Jack Quaid). Hancock’s script fills us in on their rom com-like meet-cute in a grocery store, and leading up to their weekend getaway, we garner the sense of just how much Iris adores Josh – almost concerningly so – and wants nothing more than to impress his friend group, specifically bestie Kat (Megan Suri). As they pull into a lush, expansive (and isolated) mansion by the coast, Josh assures her she’ll be fine. Horror history has taught us, if anything, this will not be the case.
Greeted by an openly snarky Kat, Josh and Iris are introduced to the home owner, walking red flag Sergey (Rupert Friend, not instantly recognisable under a dirty mullet and porn star-approved mustache), and then joined by Eli (Harvey Guillén) and his boyfriend, Patrick (Lukas Gage), who, like Josh and Iris, are also in the throws of new relationship bliss. A night of feasting, drinking and general debauchery lies ahead, and despite the friendly surface nature of it all, we’re waiting for something more sinister to reveal itself, and once Sergey gets Iris alone and starts to suggest more than what’s appropriate, Hancock hands us his first juicy serving in that Iris is far from what she appears to be.
Literally designed and programmed to meet each and every need of Josh, Iris is revealed to be an advanced robot – a mail-order humanoid, if you will – who has no free will or intelligence on her own accord. There’s much to be said on both the account of a woman’s autonomy and the fact that even as someone who’s been built to specifications to make a man happy (or what he thinks his version of happy is), she still hones the ability to test his psyche. Iris is also, wisely, not built in a type of Terminator-like manner. She appears as capable as most other women and she’s set so that she can’t cause harm to another human being. Of course, knowing how she can be tweaked to Josh’s benefit leads to Hancock’s entertaining plot running awry – and to a plethora of other narrative reveals that keep the film bombastically exciting.
For a horror-lite, black comedy thriller about a robot and her deceptive owner, Companion remarkably has a lot of heart and intelligence at its core. Hancock has no qualms in addressing “fuckbot” hedonism, and how in this space of AI the lonely hearts having their own physical manifestation of their digital partner is far more dangerous than what’s being sold on the inevitable package. Horror films so often uncover the worst of humanity and manage to address deeper-rooted issues in the guise of jump scares and gore, and Companion is no exception. Hancock and the production team here – those that so masterfully tricked us with what was taking place in 2022’s surprise success Barbarian – know not to take the easiest road out of their set-up, and as much as the secluded house is horror trope 101, what they do within that setting speaks to their intelligence and respect for audiences.
Whether it’s the type of film to open up a wealth of conversation around technology and self-government, or just enjoyed as the unpredictable thriller it proves to be on the surface, Companion makes for biting viewing, gleefully playing at once with the dynamics of power and sex as it toys with our own expectations.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Companion is screening in Australian theatres from January 30th, 2025, before opening in the United States on January 31st.
