“Companion” - Film Review
What’s the opposite of a meet-cute? Is it a meet-ugly? What does it mean if the two happiest moments of your life are the day you met your soulmate and the day you killed them? While those musings may sound like spoilers, they’re merely set dressing for the story that unfolds in Drew Hancock’s Companion. Audiences are introduced to the film with a dreamy voiceover from Sophie Thatcher’s Iris. She meanders down a grocery store aisle and comes across a cute guy in the produce section. What happens next is a tale as old as time.
After Iris and Josh’s (Jack Quaid) adorable meeting at the grocery store, the two have a whirlwind romance. They’re wholly smitten, and Iris feels confident that her entire life was leading her to the moment she met Josh. Of course things are never quite what they seem, and as always seems to be the case, Iris and Josh’s relationship comes to a head at a secluded house in the mountains. What better place to work through your problems than at a rich stranger’s house in the middle of nowhere? Accompanying Iris and Jack on their little retreat are some of Jack’s friends: Kat (Megan Suri), Eli (Harvey Guillén), his boyfriend, Patrick (Lukas Gage), and the owner of the house, Sergey (Rupert Friend).
New Line Cinema
The story of Companion is one that’s been done quite a few times. It’s a story the film’s trailer, poster, and accompanying logline have all spoiled before the public has had a chance to see the film. It may seem frustrating, as though the film showed all its cards before the projector was even turned on, but those anticipating the film can rest assured that what the trailer reveals is not a major twist. In fact, it’s fairly heavily implied from the jump of the film and fully out in the open by the twenty-minute mark. What makes Companion such a fun thrill of a flick is where it goes from there. Arguably, it’s a more rewarding experience for a moviegoer to see a film completely blind, but that’s not the case in the world we live in. Companion doesn’t suffer at all by letting viewers get a sneak peek of its hand. The fact that the movie amounts to more than this “twist,” for lack of a better word, should excite the audience.
New Line Cinema
There’s a classic feel to Companion, as though a vintage Valentine’s Day card has been personified. Iris is Stepford Wives-ified, always has her hair in a ’60s updo, and wears classic clothes from that era. The film is all pinks and little bits of lace to set the scene of what is ultimately a tech-focused horror film, although classifying Companion as only horror might send a viewer’s expectation in the wrong direction. Sure, there’s some blood and guts, but Companion is more of an exaggerated look at the inner workings of an abusive relationship than anything else. Quaid’s Josh is the spoiled little boy who believes he’s entitled to a good life without ever putting in the work to earn that life, while all Iris craves is a chance to live freely. The two are a delightful duo, each taking time away from their acclaimed streaming shows (The Boys for Quaid, Yellowjackets for Thatcher) to play around in a new sandbox.
“I just wanted to live,” Iris cries out toward the end of Companion. It’s a simple request in theory, but far more complex in Iris’ world. The fun of Companion is in its unfolding and in Thatcher’s masterful understanding of a woman fighting to live for herself and no one else.
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