Companion, 2025.
Written and Directed by Drew Hancock.
Starring Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillén, Rupert Friend, Jaboukie Young-White, Marc Menchaca, and Woody Fu.
SYNOPSIS:
After being invited to a weekend trip at her new beau’s lakeside estate, Iris uncovers a terrible secret.
Although Companion is Drew Hancock’s co-writing/directorial debut, it has a producing credit from Barbarian filmmaker Zach Cregger, who was reportedly eyeing it as a sophomore feature. Small trivia aside, this also should make clear that this is a twisty flick operating within multiple subgenres. Impressively, those pieces fit together, coming from a place of character.
There isn’t anything as jarring as the act 1-2 transition of Zach Cregger’s debut, but the films share a similar DNA with the welcome exception that with Companion, Drew Hancock is psychologically breaking down why men do some of the horrible things they do, dressed up as a cautionary tale about a depressing future society could be headed to when it comes to technology and relationships. There is also a third aspect to the narrative involving the takedown of a sketchy billionaire.
This will be a spoiler-free review that doesn’t even get at the first major plot discovery that the trailer bafflingly revealed; there is enough tantalizing nuttiness here to cut together a compelling trailer that doesn’t give anything away, so shame on the marketing department. What can be said is that Sophie Thatcher’s (outstanding in faith-centered talky horror drama Heretic, released late last year) Iris is in love with Jack Quaid’s Josh, coming across as a docile, compliant companion. Even though Iris is generally happy around Josh, with vivid memories of their quirky meet-cute inside a supermarket, there is something immediately discernibly off about the relationship and how much she is dedicated to ensuring his wants and desires are fulfilled. Meanwhile, Josh gives off a deceptive vibe, a self-professed “nice guy” who hasn’t always been dealt good cards.
Josh has planned a vacation getaway to a billionaire associate’s remote extravagant home, insisting that everyone there likes Iris even though she mentions that she has never felt that way. Iris’ intuition is correct, although the stay takes a dark turn when the rich Sergey (Rupert Friend) attempts to sexually assault her when isolated, an incident that turns out to be the catalyst for an assortment of messes. Rather than showing any concern or disgust that one of their friends just tried to abuse someone physically, they – including a gay couple played by Harvey Guillén and Lukas Gage with a relationship similar to the dynamic between Josh and Iris but with slightly more genuine love, and Sergey’s fed-up wife Kat played by Megan Suri – are more taken aback with how Iris defended herself. There also happens to be something else going on at the home she isn’t supposed to know about, which she could throw a wrench into.
Tackling a specific trendy subgenre with more detail and imagination than most stabs, Companion quickly and smartly descends into a cat-and-mouse game of wits that threatens to erupt in violence at any moment. In a word, it’s about control, with clear juxtapositions between the central relationships, how Josh is willing to manipulate people of different genders, and how he weaponizes trust and love. Those specifics also allow Sophie Thatcher to deliver a transfixing performance of shifting personalities, resourcefulness, and complicated feelings toward Josh.
As Iris continues to blow up Josh’s dastardly plans, he gradually becomes angry, reckless, and more monstrous in direct response to his partner, who is no longer brainwashed. It’s a devious and nasty turn from Jack Quaid with a how-far-will-he-go ruthlessness. The rest of the characters, while amusingly performed or shockingly violent, are meant to serve the plot and core ideas. Perhaps the same could arguably be said for Josh and Iris, as Companion is less a film that digs into its themes and messages but instead observes a situation spiraling out of control because of them.
There are still some curious observations about modern (and likely future) relationships, but Companion is more about reveling in a twisty situation and smartly going off the rails while making those points. It delivers on that front, with Sophie Thatcher gradually evolving into a must-watch talent. It might sound strange to say that Zach Cregger has a protégé already, but he is likely smiling and approves of what Drew Hancock has accomplished here.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association, Critics Choice Association, and Online Film Critics Society. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews and follow my BlueSky or Letterboxd
