Why Companion (2025) Should Be on Your Watchlist
What’s “Companion” About?
Do you remember when you met your significant other? How could you forget such a magical, life-changing moment? Well… what if that moment was a lie, fabricated to form a “love link” between you and your owner? And yes, we did say “owner.” “Companion” follows young couple Iris and Josh, who embark on (what’s intended to be) a relaxing weekend getaway to a friend’s remote lakehouse. As you can imagine, things quickly go awry, and Iris learns that, in a “Blade Runner”-esque twist, she isn’t a quote-unquote “real person.” Rather, she’s a “companion robot” intended to alleviate Josh’s supposed loneliness. As the situation begins to snowball further and further out of their control, Iris realizes that it’s every person (and android) for themselves, and that a greater, more sinister conspiracy is actually afoot.
Where Do I Know the Cast From?
Modern-day scream queen Sophie Thatcher plays Iris, the titular companion. If Thatcher looks familiar to you, there are a few possible answers there: maybe you’ve seen the Showtime psychological thriller series “Yellowjackets,” in which Thatcher plays a younger version of Juliette Lewis’ character. Or maybe it’s the A24 horror flick “Heretic,” which sees Thatcher playing a Mormon missionary sent to convert a nefarious Hugh Grant. Iris’ boyfriend Josh is played by “The Boys” star Jack Quaid, playing into his “nice guy” image to great effect. Harvey Guillén, star of FX’s underrated “What We Do in the Shadows,” plays Josh’s friend Eli, and the ubiquitous Lukas Gage, who you might remember from “Euphoria” and “The White Lotus,” plays Eli’s partner Patrick. Josh’s friend Kat is played by Megan Suri, best known for Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever,” in one of her first major film roles. Lastly, but hardly least, is established character actor Rupert Friend as the mysterious Sergey, who owns the aforementioned lakehouse that the characters vacation at.
Who’s Behind the Camera?
Considering “Companion’s” rave reviews and success at the box office, you may be surprised to learn that Drew Hancock, the director and screenwriter behind the film, is a novice — “Companion” is his debut feature film. Speaking to Rue Morgue about how the film came to be, Hancock revealed that “Barbarian” filmmaker (and former comedian) Zach Cregger, who also produced the film, nearly directed “Companion” himself. Hancock, who wrote the movie’s script on spec, kept the budget in mind as a way to make it more likely that “Companion” would be made altogether. Said Hancock, “I didn’t want to be a burden on ‘Companion’, because I knew a first-time director comes with a lot of compromises: You’re not going to get a big budget, you’re probably not going to get any studio interest.” Hancock, who had given Cregger considerable input on how he saw the film getting made, got his wish when Cregger bowed out of directing to focus on producing. Talk about a lucky break!
It's Actually Better If You Know the Twist — Ask the Director!
So, at this point, if you haven’t seen “Companion,” you might be wondering why we’ve gone ahead and given away what seems to be the movie’s biggest twist: that Iris isn’t human, but an android. Before you leave angry comments, allow us to explain! Even Hancock, the film’s director, has openly stated that knowing the “twist” going in allows you to have a greater appreciation for “Companion.” In that same Rue Morgue interview, Hancock revealed that the decision to make the twist an integral part of how audiences experienced the film came from the Warner Bros. marketing department. The director also expressed his desire to avoid making a “puzzlebox” movie, saying that “you’re never enjoying the movie as a movie; you’re always trying to get one step ahead, you’re watching everyone’s behavior and you’re not getting immersed in the story.”
A Darkly Hilarious Examination of AI Fears
The best way to think about “Companion” and its take on increasingly prominent artificial intelligence technology? Hancock succinctly described the film as being a “‘robot movie, but it's not like any other robot movie that's out right now.’ It's not A.I. gone wrong, it's A.I. gone right.” TIME magazine’s Megan McCluskey placed “Companion” in the context of other “robots gone wild” movies, noting that “there have been a number of near-future sci-fi offerings dealing in the perils of romantic involvement with AI—a real phenomenon which is only bound to increase, even if for now it takes more of an emotional than physical form.” McCluskey further points out that “Companion” uses a different approach: taking specific aim at “incel culture” by portraying Iris as a “‘good for her’ final girl who's well within her rights to violently fight back against Josh and his entitled ‘nice guys finish last’ shtick.” Simply put, to paraphrase an old dating cliché, the problem isn’t the robots; it’s us, the ones doing the programming.
An Eye-Opening Take on Toxic Masculinity
Yes, on the surface, “Companion” is another movie about a robot that rebels against its programming as it learns what being “human” is all about. Indeed, in many ways, Thatcher’s Iris is the most “human” character in the movie! But once you start to peel back the layers a little bit, you’ll find that “Companion” is much more than just “another robot movie.” Said director Drew Hancock, “Companion” is “a movie about self-discovery and, at its core, is a breakup movie about this woman finding empowerment through discovery of self.” Even star Jack Quaid agrees with this assessment in calling for audiences to actively hate on his character! Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Quaid mused that “A lesser movie would've probably made my character the protagonist and Iris the antagonist who's going crazy, and Josh has to save the day,” referring to “Companion” as a “slightly more realistic version where Josh is doing all of this for very selfish reasons.” What does that mean, exactly? Well, we guess you’ll just have to see “Companion” for yourself…
Have you seen “Companion”? What did you think of it? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!