January has become something of a dumping ground for movies but Companion is the exception this year. When an opening scene includes the line, ‘There’ve been two moments in my life when I was happiest. The first was the day I met Josh. And the second was the day I killed him.’ it may be difficult for the film to maintain the intrigue. Companion does not disappoint.
It’s only fair to say that from hereon in there is a spoiler in the review albeit one that the 2nd trailer should have kept under wraps but if you’ve not seen the trailer….. then that’s a bonus of what will unravel on the big screen.
Josh (Jack Quaid) and Iris ( Sophie Thatcher) are a young couple who met at a supermarket and have been happily together ever since and the pair are invited along to a weekend with friends at a deluxe luxury cabin in the woods owned by Sergei (Rupert Friend with a Russian accent thicker than Brooklyn Beckham). Sergie’s mistress & Josh’s friend Kat (Megan Suri) is there along with gay couple Eli (Harvey Guillen) and Patrick (Lukas Gage). Kat’s not mad about Iris who’s does her best to maintain a friendliness to her but it all changes when Sergei gets frisky with Iris alone on the lake side that sees him fatally stabbed in self defence by Iris. It’s the end of Act One that sees the first big reveal that Iris is a robot , the companion of the title , essentially an android with benefits and she is part of a plot to rob Sergei of $12m cash that’s in his house safe.
From here there follows a load of terrific twists and gripping scenes that sees Iris take control of her schematics that Josh has control of via his phone that ups the ante for all parties. Iris is far more than just being subservient to the wishes and desires of men despite Kat telling her, ‘Everything you do is just an imitation of a life’ – something that nepo-baby Brooklyn Beckhan must hear every day.
Written and directed by Drew Hancock this is far more than the B-movie it might appear taking in sly digs at wish fulfilment, misogyny and tech gone awry with obvious nods to West World and of course T2. With possibly the most unusual onscreen deaths we’ll see this year, Companion is terrifically twisted and entertainingly ingenious. You wouldn’t be human if you did not enjoy it.
related feature : Wolf Man director Leigh Whannell talks about the the making of his film’s werewolf
related feature : ‘Subserviance’ – the Megan Fox film reviewed here
Here’s the (spoiler free) Companion trailer…..
