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When the first teaser trailer for Companion dropped, I was intrigued and disturbed by the direction that it seemed to be taking. Is witchcraft at play here? Is it a cult-like situation? What could compel someone to stay still while their hand was burning? Why was this man so determined to hurt this woman?

These questions swirled in my mind as I entered the theater to see Companion. Looking at the full trailer and the poster for the film, most of those questions are answered within those mediums. Luckily, there are still plenty of important questions and points of the plot that are left in the dark for you to discover while watching this film. Now let’s dive in!

Companion is an R-rated film that stars Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid. They play Iris and Josh, respectively, who go up to a remote cabin to spend time with Josh’s friends. Things soon take a turn for the worse when Iris is attacked and kills someone in self-defense.

This leads to Josh revealing the truth to Iris; She is a robot who is meant to be Josh’s companion. This revelation sets off a chain of bloody events that will put everyone at the cabin in danger. With a constant shifting of motivations, alliances, and moral questions, this film will give you plenty of moments to be concerned about and quite a few to root for Iris. 

Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way (the R rating of this film). I highly question if this film is actually deserving of such a high rating. There is certainly blood, gore, violence, and a smidge of sex in this film. However, all of this was shot in a way that seems to be more geared towards a PG-13 rating.

The only thing that seems to clear this movie to an R rating is the fact that Josh curses about six times within the first two minutes of screen time. This feels deliberate since the rest of the film peppers the profanity in rarely and evenly. I am unsure if an R rating was desired out of a marketing desire to attract more people to the film or just as a general check box on the film as a whole. I will likely never know, so let’s move on to the meat of Companion.

Sophie Thatcher shines in this film! She carries the movie on her back as you are rooting for her from start to finish for all sorts of reasons. Her performance is amplified by the work of Jack Quaid who does a good job of being a weirdo with very few social skills outside of his friend group. We don’t see enough of this weirdness since the plot rarely brings in anyone beyond the friend group.

This is more brought to the surface through the various conversations between Iris and Josh as the two go down very different, yet intertwined paths. The supporting cast fit their roles well with a few stand-out moments. Lukas Gage has the most impressive performance from the supporting cast as his character constantly evolves throughout the story. 

Overall, I think that Companion is a great film. I don’t know if it will end up being a top-ten film of the year, but it is certainly a movie worth seeing. For those who may be uninterested in it due to the science fiction element, do not worry. The film doesn’t do a deep dive into much of it and keeps things grounded and relatable.

I don’t think Companion is the perfect date night film unless you want to send a message to your significant other. If you happen to be single during this year’s Valentine’s Day however, (like yours truly) I think that this could be an ideal film to see since this can prove that some forms of love are completely overrated. If you want some other unusual films to watch, check out my review of Nosferatu right here.

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157

Companion

0.00

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• Story with plenty of twists
• Grounded Setting with Futuristic Elements
• Sophie Thatcher Carries the Film

Cons

• No Memorable Soundtrack

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