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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
January has been such a surprisingly promising start to this new year of cinema; and although a late arrival, actors Jack Quaid and Sophie Thatcher lead one of the best films of the month. Produced by the minds behind 2022’s Barbarian, New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures’ newest dark comedy science-fiction thriller film isn’t necessarily original. However, every element incorporated works constructively for it rather than against it.
In cross-genre storytelling, Jack Quaid has made a name for himself with The Hunger Games, more so with Eric Kripke’s The Boys and Radio Silence’s Scream; likewise, Sophie Thatcher has become somewhat of a scream queen in her work over the past few years. With Companion, an interesting narrative of how people treat their partners is told. The film follows a small group of friends at a cabin in the woods who partaking in chaotic activity. It’s easy to argue that it’s derivative, but there is no doubt that a film like this is a delightful treat for the end of the month.
Companion is written and directed by Drew Hancock.
In this review, I will discuss Companion. As this article’s title suggests, no spoilers will be present.
Discussion
Trigger warning: This film contains instances of sexual assault and emotional and psychological manipulation.
Love just so happens to be an intricate metaphysics of life, even when it shouldn’t be. As a filmmaker, Hancock’s screenwriting is ridiculously witty yet holds a compelling kind of cleverness so that his direction of character choice and perspective makes the final scene a well-deserved satisfaction. He has a brilliant way with words in the opening quarter-hour or so, and if you weren’t made aware of the crucial reveal via the full trailer footage, then I would say that this could persuade you to buy into the flawlessness of it all.
Seriously, the rhetoric of a narrative in an already prolific genre of cinema is, at the very least, moving. James Cameron’s The Terminator franchise has been a household name in science-fiction thrillers since the mid-1980s, preceded by the Planet of the Apes films in the two decades prior. That is not to mention that Warner Bros. as an entertainment studio has more recently sold me on Alissa Nutting’s Made for Love as a science-fiction dark comedy and on Aaron Guzikowski and Ridley Scott’s Raised by Wolves as a science-fiction thriller—before David Zaslav came in and erased both from existence at the onset of his reign.
Companion has everything profound going for it, and rightfully so; just do not go into this thinking it’s a horror film. Thanks to the casting department, Hancock’s characters fortify the pathos in their emotional line-reading. Whether it be Josh’s (Quaid) aggressive fight for control, Eli’s (Harvey Guillén) frustration with his inclusion, or Iris’s (Thatcher) discovery of both qualities, the small ensemble could be a match made in heaven. On the other hand, the ethos, logos, and kairos factor into a much larger circumstance for the film.
A Critical Companion to Robotic Rhetoric
Again, Companion is a film about love—and abuse disguised as love—, and so this timeless metaphysic paves the way for an abundance of creative material. (To be honest, the remarkable pacing made it a bit challenging for note-taking, so bear with me here.) In terms of logic, it feels as if I were watching a typical episode of Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty, where shit happens but there is intense intention behind it. A big portion of the story is shown through Iris’s eyes, hence her name. The protagonist’s hazy lens into the world is a “thick, black cloud” whose sense of bewilderment clears away for everyone as the plot progresses. Hancock takes the “unreliable narrator” third-person route, whether it’s Iris telling only the truth or everyone engaging in anything but the truth.
This layer of scarce guidance comes in the form of Josh’s car (voiced by Ashley Lambert) GPS and the “companions”, i.e. the romantic partners who are made to tag along at the cabin get-together. It’s strong timing to showcase a film about individuals being lost in the world. Even harsher, the world only feels rigged if one is to succumb to it and fail to vie for their rights. It says a lot for Hancock to paint some as weaponizing love, thus creating and spreading pain, and consequently, being infectious to everyone. Ethics, reason, and timing work hand-in-hand with one another. Yet, the rhetorical appeal is merely the tip of the iceberg within a story confined by its language, messaging, and presentation.
The Canons in the Cross-Genre Storytelling
The invention of Hancock’s thematic thesis is intriguing. However, again, it comes at the cost of illustrating what many are familiar with in the Terminator films, Rick and Morty, Made for Love, etc. Similar to Thatcher’s previous film, Heretic, Companion ultimately centers on control in relationships. Iris is not alone in this type of conflict, and it’s in her consciousness to strive for freedom. The screenplay’s arrangement of its beats and scenes, then, is commendable with how frequently it bounces between realities and reveries.
Much of the dialogue between the characters makes for wise crafting in style. It’s laughable to ponder out loud on the plural of certain drugs. Hancock’s choice of words holds multiple meanings, speaking for both the audience and the characters. Then again, it’s easy to predict what the chosen diction points to. With Companion, I’ve come to appreciate the use of pet names, some “be careful for what you wish for”-esque words of command, and the lines either directed at Iris or coming from her mouth.
Production designer Scott Kuzio’s set piece of Sergey’s (Rupert Friend) cabin in the woods residence is “rustic”. It’s the only reasonable term in a location said to be “little” and “remote”. The home is more of a two-story structure, but the simplicity in art direction and set decoration keeps the narrative from being way too cluttered than it appears to be. For example, Iris and Josh’s upstairs guestroom is clean and well-lit. Director of Photography Eli Born shoots a nice morning scene where the camera pans from Iris on the balcony to Josh in the bathroom and back.
A Pristine Production
Composer Hrishikesh Hirway’s soundtrack is beauteous, e.g. “Smile, Act Happy”, a serene guitar instrumental playing in Iris and Josh’s bathroom. Next to that, music supervisor Rob Lowry’s song selections and music editor Ben Zales’s cutting and fading help enhance the enthralling viewing experience.
“Boy” by Book of Love feels like a typical track for everyone to dance along to in an eerie lit-up cabin surrounded by pitch darkness. Companion is easily at the top of this month’s releases for one song that plays when Josh and Iris meet for the first time. It perfectly sums up the film’s premise in describing Iris as a character and the love enveloping her as heavenly, sanguine, and, at the same time, broken and brutal. “Colour of Anyhow” by Beverly Glenn-Copeland, “This Guy’s In Love With You” by Herb Alpert, “You Showed Me” by The Turtles, and “Emotion” by Samantha Sang and the Bee Gees are also meaningful selections for the provided tone.
Editors Brett W. Bachman and Josh Ethier are extra creative with the cuts, such as in Iris and Josh’s intimacy during their first night in the cabin. I especially enjoy the cut to black when the first major reveal comes. Stunt coordinator Christopher Place leads the action finely, such as Iris punching Josh in the throat. Paired with Hancock’s screenwriting and his ability to influence, the cinematic elements bring this cross-genre film to perfection, or precisely close to it.
The Crew Behind Companion
Eli Born serves as the director of photography.
Brett W. Bachman (Cooties, Mandy, Werewolves Within, Pig, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Toxic Avenger remake) and Josh Ethier (Don’t Move) are the editors.
Hrishikesh Hirway serves as the music composer.
Rob Lowry (Do Revenge) serves as the music supervisor. Ben Zales (Mr. Robot, The Forever Purge, Night Teeth, Umma, They/Them, M3GAN, Abigail) serves as the music editor.
Dan Kenyon serves as the supervising sound editor. Ando Johnson, Kenyon, and Erick Ocampo serve as the sound designers.
Nancy Nayor (The Grudge, Wrong Turn 2: Dead End, The Midnight Meat Train, Scream 4, Piranha 3DD, Haunt, Umma, Barbarian, Saw X, Lisa Frankenstein, Strange Darling, Don’t Move) serves as the casting director.
Jasmine Gutierrez (Snake Eyes, Saw X, Blue Eye Samurai, Lisa Frankenstein, Strange Darling, Don’t Move) serves as the casting associate. Israfeel Ahamed serves as the casting assistant.
Patrick Campbell (Men in Black 3, Netflix’s Maniac, Leigh Janiak’s Fear Street trilogy, Ozark, No Hard Feelings, Donald Glover and Francesca Sloane’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith) serves as the storyboard artist.
Jamison Goei serves as the visual effects supervisor.
From Ingenuity, Diego Rojas serves as the VFX executive producer; and Jacob Reardon serves as the VFX producer.
From Tower 33, Kyle Gordon and Elle Sassenrath (On My Block, DMZ, Will Graham and Abbi Jacobson’s A League of Their Own, The Patient, Donald P. Bellisario’s Quantum Leap revival, Cobra Kai) serve as the VFX executive producers; Garrett Wycoff serves as the VFX supervisor; and Lorna Ryan and Summer Duquette serve as the VFX producers.
Heather Ondersma serves as the intimacy supervisor. Asha Astrid Cybele Mollier serves as the intimacy coordinator.
Christopher Place serves as the stunt coordinator.
Aesthetics
Scott Kuzio (Leigh Janiak’s Fear Street trilogy) serves as the production designer.
John Duhigg Cox and Naomi Munro (I Saw the TV Glow) serve as the art directors. Rosa Callejas serves as the assistant art director.
Kendall Anderson (You Were Never Really Here, The Punisher Season 2, Uncut Gems, C’mon C’mon, Problemista, His Three Daughters) serves as the set decorator. Melissa Nikki Reid serves as the assistant set decorator.
Vanessa Porter serves as the costume designer.
Celeste Montalvo and Kirsten Walsh are the assistant costume designers. Mia Flanagan, Alyssa Lesser, and Haley Meeker are the additional assistant costume designers.
Sasha Grossman serves as the makeup department head.
Fiona Mifsud and Valerie Carney serve as the key makeup artists. Shannon Dollison and Anthony Pepe are the additional makeup artists.
Joshua D. First serves as the hair department head.
Hailei Call serves as the key hairstylist. Angie Johnson, Kim Shriver, Jason J. Dougherty, and Tijen Osman are the additional hairstylists.
The Cast of Companion
Sophie Thatcher (Prospect, Yellowjackets, The Boogeyman, MaXXXine, Heretic) portrays Iris, the protagonist of Companion.
Jack Quaid (The Hunger Games, Tragedy Girls, The Boys, Scream, My Adventures with Superman) portrays Josh.
Megan Suri (It Lives Inside) portrays Kat, a friend of Josh’s.
Harvey Guillén (Hulu’s Into the Dark, FX’s What We Do in the Shadows, Werewolves Within, Blue Beetle, Harley Quinn) portrays Eli, a friend of Josh’s.
Lukas Gage (Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, Assassination Nation, HBO’s Euphoria, Mike White’s The White Lotus Season 1, Smile 2) portrays Patrick, Eli’s boyfriend.
Rupert Friend (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Asteroid City) portrays Sergey, the Russian owner of the cabin in the woods.
Marc Menchaca portrays Deputy Hendrix.
Jaboukie Young-White (C’mon C’mon, Strange World, Black Mirror Series 6, Fantasmas) portrays Teddy, a technician from Empathix. Matthew J. McCarthy plays Sid, an employee from Empathix.
Woody Fu portrays Mateo, an employee from Empathix who introduces Josh to Iris.
Ashley Lambert voices Josh’s car.
Performances and Character Developments
To root for Iris would be to betray some morals that I have regarding current-day innovations. Yet, I cannot help but feel allured by Thatcher’s overall performance. Next to other titular icons played by women, the actor instantly makes Iris a memorable figure. Hair department head Joshua D. First and his hairstylist team have a stunning way about her; for instance, the parting above her forehead, which stays in place throughout the film. Thatcher’s human expressions, like her looks of unease, are a special case.
Iris is a powerful woman who is careful about her decisions and even has her Thanos moment once she unlocks her full potential. It’s heavenly imagery thanks to the visual effects team. One great slow-motion sequence at the end feels akin to work that must have likely been done in Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy’s Westworld. By the end of the film, Iris’s experience will have been captivating and suspenseful, but she earns her fate well. As it is with everyone else in Companion, Thatcher deserves her roses for having proved her worth time and time again. This is more evident now.
The Other Party Guests
Lukas Gage deserves credit for selling it in his role as what some may refer to as a “power bottom”, or submissive. The actor was never the main character in his past work, but one thing is for sure… He makes pistol-whipping extremely awesome to see. I believe what’s uncanny in the role of Patrick is the subtle allusion to actor Robert Patrick. Gage puts on loving and severe expressions pristinely insofar that it gets anxious to see him on screen at times.
Quaid as Iris’s boyfriend, Josh, makes for a good antagonist. He juxtaposes with Guillén’s Eli greatly in that Josh wants to be at the cabin, while Eli needs to be there for his friends but doesn’t quite understand the extent of his purpose. The two actors share darkly hilarious scenes with Gage and Megan Suri, playing off of each other wonderfully. Josh isn’t too different from Quaid’s role as Richie Kirsch in 2022’s Scream. He’s a sweet guy on the surface but for some reason possesses ulterior motives. Although, Josh’s motives don’t involve trying to get blood on his own hands…and that isn’t saying much considering the course of events.
Final Thoughts on Companion
Jack Quaid and Sophie Thatcher offer a mind-puncturing window into a partnership that goes wrong. Surrounded by their co-stars, they all portray these young people magnificently in a film that makes Made For Love look like a cool, contemporary cousin and Don’t Worry Darling like a parody. Seeing that Hancock has writing credits in Season 2 of Will Carsola and Dave Stewart’s black comedy horror Mr. Pickles and is set to write the script for a remake of Robert Rodriguez’s The Faculty, I don’t see any reason to doubt the merit of Companion. The film spends its runtime wisely, tapping into what has been beloved most in the filmmaking realm.
5/5 stars
Companion is now playing in theaters!
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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
