Companion (2025)
February 3, 2025 4:49 AM - Subscribe

Iris (Sophie Thatcher) is hopelessly devoted to her boyfriend Josh (Jack Quaid) but worries his friend Kat (Megan Suri) doesn't like her. A trip to Kat's Russian boyfriend's ritzy remote vacation home seems the perfect opportunity to win over Kat and Josh's other friends (Harvey Guillén, Lukas Gage). Instead, Iris finds herself covered in blood and running for her life.

Written and directed by Drew Hancock. Produced by Zach Cregger, Roy Lee, Raphael Margules, J. D. Lifshitz for New Line Cinema/BoulderLight Pictures/Vertigo Entertainment/Subconscious/Domain Entertainment. Cinematography by Eli Born. Edited by Brett W. Bachman, Josh Ethier. Music by Hrishikesh Hirway.

94% fresh on rotten Tomatoes.

Now playing in theaters. You can check to see streaming options become available in your area via the film's listing on JustWatch.
posted by DirtyOldTown (13 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
OK, right off the bat, there is a twist that is part of this film's setup and if you have avoided knowing about it so far (although it is in the newer posters and trailers) you have the option to nope on out now and still not know about it.

I don't think it's a big deal, because it's part of the setup, not a big reveal late in the film or anything, but if you're worried, you still have space to avoid knowing.

If you've already found out, this is not a "twist ending" film where the ending has been spoiled. They're all but telegraphing this point early on and it wouldn't be a big shock anyway.

We good? OK.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 4:53 AM on February 3


In addition to whether "this is a twist film spoiled by the trailers" debate, you can also look forward to a "this film by a man features a woman trying to empower herself, does that mean a man is trying to explain feminism to us all?" debate. It's not. But we will definitely not dodge that debate, if experience is an indicator.

Anyway.

I enjoyed this. It's fun, fast, never loses steam, and has a great central performance by Thatcher and the success of the movie is primarily a result of her great work here.

It sort of feels a bit like the writer saw that particular episode of Westworld (do not inflame the spoiler-averse, but if you know, you know and if you don't, you can probably guess that the lifelike robots in that series do not all lie down and accept their fates, which gets you 65% of the way there) and thought, "That would be a fine horror film." And he was right. Or maybe it's Her with the Joaquin Phoenix character getting his comeuppance, bucket after bucket full.

Make sure you stay for the mid-credits scene, which is a hoot.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:00 AM on February 3


One of the few horror/thriller movies I’ve seen in recent years without massive plot holes. Really wonderful writing.

Great flick. Joe Bob says check it out.
posted by ifatfirstyoudontsucceed at 6:43 AM on February 3


I avoided spoilers at the top, just as I would avoid standing in the doorway of a book club at a community scenter and saying loudly "Can you believe his wife was the killer ALL ALONG?" It's really more cautious than is even necessary, let alone required, but I do what I can.

But just as, once inside the book club, spoilers are totally fair, they're fair here. She's a robot! we can say that and talk about it.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:02 AM on February 3


I have zero interest in seeing a horror movie and won't be seeing this, but the plot of this when I read about it sounded like a very creepy story I wrote. I basically channeled it, the only person who's ever seen it is my therapist. The concept of "the way to deal with an abusive man is to get him a robot he can abuse," anyway. So, creeped me out to hear this exists.
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:23 AM on February 3


The part where you realize her name is Iris because he likes the terrible fucking Goo Goo Dolls song of that name is [chef's kiss].
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:32 AM on February 3 [1 favorite]


I did not realize that!! It's so obvious now because why else would he be blasting that song when Empathix arrives?
posted by Four-Eyed Girl at 11:22 AM on February 3


They put a CD in the player and crank up the volume—but Eli turns the TUNING knob on the 70s-style receiver!
posted by channaher at 3:21 PM on February 3


Maybe it was characterization, but I thought it was rude of Josh and the others to call Iris a robot when she is plainly an android.
posted by channaher at 7:16 PM on February 4 [2 favorites]


haven't seen it yet but surely it's a gynoid.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 4:30 AM on February 5 [1 favorite]


It isn't a deeply philosophical film but it does have something to say consent and control, and treating women as objects or possessions, interesting from the point of view of a literal object. Like, if you're entirely devoted to a relationship, what agency do you have left? Someone in the row behind me, during a scene where the owner is talking to his android, loudly whispered "GASLIGHTER". And that is sort of the weak part of the film, but sort of understandable given the villain's behavior: there's plenty of points where the main character is nearly defeated, but the villain just needs to make her understand his point of view, why won't she understand, which gives her time for the tables to turn.

It also is an interesting twist on the "final girl", not in a genre-bending upheaval but just enough of a different angle to be entertaining.

It's a film about robots, but not just about an android; there's also a self-driving car, and if you think about it, an electric automatic wine bottle opener...is also a robot. *winks slyly about spoilers*

It also hits, like, every item in my IT training on how people hack accounts. Facial recognition and thumbprint readers are forced for others to gain access, voice activation is defeated by AI 'deepfaking', one character has an easily guessed password which they use everywhere, hardware is jailbreaked. The only security thing that doesn't get hacked or defeated has a physical key, the handcuffs.

The first "twist" everyone's talking about being spoiled by the poster was heavily hinted at in dialogue leading up to it; that twist happens AGAIN, and it really did surprise me, it wasn't telegraphed at all.
posted by AzraelBrown at 6:29 AM on February 5 [2 favorites]


Really enjoyed this movie. Not super-deep but smart and pacey. It was also a lot funnier than I expected, the reactions of the characters are amazing. Also a great use of Chekhov's Corkscrew.

I thought it was a nice twist on the usual that instead of having an evil murderous android, you have a good murderous android and terrible humans. It felt almost Murderbot-ish.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 2:00 AM on February 7 [1 favorite]


I'd forgotten that Sophie Thatcher also played Sister Barnes in
Heretic.At least she made it out alive this time.

posted by TheophileEscargot at 2:11 AM on February 7


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