Summary
A darkly funny thriller, Drew Hancock’s debut dissects toxic relationships through the lens of technology, delivering sharp twists and a standout performance from Sophie Thatcher.
SPOILER ALERT: While this review avoids revealing the myriad twists and turns that make the film a delight, it does touch on some basic plot elements that might be considered mild spoilers.
Who needs messy human interaction or even dating apps when you can fall for the algorithm itself? From Westworld and Blade Runner to Ex Machina and Black Mirror, the intersection of love, humanity, and technology has long been fertile ground for storytelling.
In Drew Hancock’s striking directorial debut, he flips the script on this familiar trope by exploring a world where artificial companions don’t complete us but amplify our worst instincts. While its shopfront premise might evoke Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Air Doll or Maria Schrader’s I’m Your Man, this darkly funny thriller proves to be something far more disarmingly clever.
Iris (Sophie Thatcher) is, to borrow a phrase from Olivia Newton-John, hopelessly devoted to Josh (Jack Quaid). She bends over backwards to please him, even agreeing to a vacation with Josh’s friends, including Kat (Megan Suri) and her sleazy Russian boyfriend Sergey (Rupert Friend).
Despite Kat’s barely veiled hostility, Iris starts to find her groove with the group, including lively couple Eli (Harvey Guillén) and Patrick (Lukas Gage). That is, until Sergey makes an unwanted advance, forcing Iris to kill him in self-defence. It’s at this shocking juncture that the film drops its first bombshell: Iris is not human but a companion robot, meticulously designed to fulfil Josh’s every whim.
From here, it would be criminal to reveal anything more. I went into this having avoided almost all pre-release buzz, and it made all the difference. Like one of those crime films where every plan spirals disastrously out of control, Hancock’s script doles out one curveball after another. What sets COMPANION apart, though, is how unexpectedly funny it is amidst the chaos.
Hancock uses sharp, well-timed humour to cut through the tension, elevating the film beyond Stepford Wives comparisons into something far more winking. By weaving in themes of #MeToo and toxic masculinity, the film transitions into an exploration of autonomy and control. Following in the thematic footsteps of Don’t Worry Darling and Don’t Blink, Hancock’s film truly comes alive when Iris confronts her lack of agency, transforming into a more compelling story.
This pivot gives Sophie Thatcher a platform to showcase her incredible range. Known for her role in Yellowjackets and her supporting turn in Heretic, Thatcher delivers a standout performance, effortlessly embodying Iris’ malleable personality, which literally shifts at the push of a button. Jack Quaid, meanwhile, easily sheds his voice-acting familiarity from Star Trek: Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds to convincingly portray the deadbeat boyfriend. And Rupert Friend? His eerie transformation into Sergey is so complete it feels almost unsettling.
As Hollywood—and society at large—grapples with the implications of artificial intelligence, COMPANION arrives as a timely reflection on the balance of power in all relationships, not just those between humans and technology. It may not change your perspective on AI, but it will undoubtedly leave you chuckling long after its final twist.
2025 | USA | DIRECTOR: Drew Hancock | WRITERS: Drew Hancock | CAST: Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillén, Rupert Friend | DISTRIBUTOR: Universal Pictures (Australia), New Line Cinema (USA) | RUNNING TIME: 97 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 30 January 2025 (Australia), 31 January 2025 (USA)
