New Line Cinema describes “Companion” as a new kind of love story. It calls the film “Unhinged and Unpredictable.”
As the female lead Iris tells us:
“There have been two moments in my life when I was happiest. The first was the day I met Josh … And the second, the day I killed him.”
Like Alfred Hitchcock did with “Psycho,” the studio implores us not to reveal the ending. But that’s easier said than done.
Heeding this warning, IMDb vaguely describes the plot as: “A billionaire’s death sets off a chain of events for Iris and her friends during a weekend trip to his lakeside estate.”
That doesn’t tell us much.
Some see “Companion” as a “zany break-up movie.” Other see it as a sci-fi thriller teen horror film.
James Jay Edwards of Showbiz Junkies calls it “A Mind-Bending Journey Through Love, Blood, and Chaos.”
He elaborates: “For those who need a bit more, ‘Companion’ is about a young woman named Iris (Sophie Thatcher from ‘Heretic’ and ‘Yellowjackets’) who goes to a scenic cabin for a romantic getaway with her boyfriend, Josh (Jack Quaid from ‘Boys’ and ‘Scream’). A group of Josh’s friends, all paired up into couples, is there, too, and madness ensues. And that is really all you should know about the plot going in. Trust me. There are surprises at every turn of ‘Companion,’ and they are best discovered organically through seeing the movie instead of hearing or reading about them beforehand.”
That’s because “Companion” is a stylish film with lots of twists and turns. First-time director and writer Drew Hancock (creator of the television series “My Dead Ex”) plays it close to the vest, revealing all in tiny, deliberate clues. Yes, like “The Sixth Sense,” this is a film you’ll watch more than once, looking for the breadcrumbs Hancock left to mark his cinematic path.
A lot of film critics spill lots of ink detailing their handwringing over revealing spoilers in their reviews. But the studio let the iRobot Roomba i1152 loose in the living room with the release of its second trailer, so here goes (stop reading if you don’t want to know more):
Iris is a robot.
There, you know.
But she doesn’t. And that’s the point.
“For her part, Sophie Thatcher gives an amazing performance as Iris … Every facial tick and vocal inflection, every uncomfortable bit of laughter or dramatic teardrop, it all means something and makes perfect sense in the context of the character.”
As SlashFilm critic Chris Evangelista tells us, “Iris has no idea she’s actually a lovebot, the type of artificial girlfriend that creepy tech bro weirdos have wet dreams about. She’s completely convinced she’s a real person … But all of that is about to change in a big, disturbing way. After something goes very, very wrong (with bloody consequences), Iris is shocked to learn that her entire life is a lie. She’s not an independent human being – she’s a manufactured piece of hardware. And her beloved Josh isn’t her boyfriend – he’s her owner. What’s a highly-skilled, highly-powerful human-like robot with advanced A.I. to do?”
“To Hancock’s credit, spoilers won’t ruin your enjoyment of his messy romantic thriller,” assures Jarrod Jones of Paste Magazine.
Think: “Ex Machina” meets “Lars and the Real Girl” meets “M3GAN.”
I liked it. But then again, I’m fond of movies that are unhinged and unpredictable.
Email Shirrel: srhoades@aol.com
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