“Companion,” written and directed by Drew Hancock, delivers an ever-so-relevant commentary on artificial intelligence, misogyny and the complexity of abusive relationships.
Released on Jan. 31, the film follows Iris, played by Sophie Thatcher, living in a bizarre existence as a companion robot to Josh, played by Jack Quaid. The couple travels to a remote mansion to meet with Josh’s friends, but their getaway quickly swerves off course.
At the encouragement of one of the other guests, the host tries to take advantage of Iris, resulting in her killing him. This catalyst pushes Iris closer towards realizing her place in Josh’s life: an object to be controlled. The film draws a clear connection between the way Josh treats Iris and the prevalence of misogyny and control over women in society.
The audience learns with Iris the extent of Josh’s control. His decision to set her intelligence low and her inability to control the car unless mimicking his voice conveys the little autonomy she holds. Thatcher’s performance captures Iris’s descent and the transition of her imitative, artificial speech into genuine horror. Similarly, Josh’s progression from a seemingly socially awkward guy into someone almost unrecognizable was an impressive feat. In the latter half of the film, his fall into a power-hungry craze becomes evident as he forces Iris to hold her hand into a flame. He does this not only because he is upset but because he can — a jarring contrast to the meet-cute at the beginning of the movie.
The film offers more nuance than expected. Programmed or not, the love Iris feels for Josh is real, and it makes it harder for her to come to terms with Josh’s malicious intentions. Despite knowledge of his wrongdoing, she still retains her reminded of the memories she holds with Josh and the man he used to be. For as long as she has existed, her world revolved around him. To break from his control is to face the reality that those good memories are tainted with his power and outright lies. This detail creates a realistic depiction of an abusive relationship.
Additionally, Eli and his robot boyfriend Patrick have a complex relationship in which love and artificial intelligence is explored. The film attempts to navigate the complicated nature of their love: The conflicting control Eli will always have over Patrick and Patrick’s knowledge of this. Ultimately though, these concepts were not fully realized to the extent they could have been.
A captivating dark comedy thriller, “Companion” is certainly worth a watch and serves as a strong start to a new year of movies.
