Hey everyone and welcome to a brand new review! For this one, I will be catching up on a fairly recent release that came out back in January, one which I have been interested in ever since the first trailer came out. Companion is a new thriller that is most notable for being produced by Zach Cregger, who made a name for himself in the horror community for helming the sleeper hit, Barbarian. Drew Hancock makes his debut behind the director’s chair with Cregger thinking he was a good for the material. The first teaser was very cryptic but intriguing, teasing something mysterious that blended a number of genres together. Later marketing materials revealed some would argue, a little too much regarding the actual premise of the feature. However, I was still very much interested in seeing how this would play out. Was this able to impress? Let’s jump right in and see what this twisted romance had to offer!
Going to try and be vague as possible regarding the exact specifics of the plot, but the basic rundown involves a young woman named Iris and her boyfriend, Josh. Together they head on a trip to a lake house in the middle of nowhere, to meet up with some friends in the form of Josh’s friends, Kat, Eli, Patrick, and Sergei, the latter of whom owns the place. Everything seems to be going well if a bit awkward from Iris’s perspective. That is until things begin to take a strange turn with Iris doing things she didn’t think she was capable and everything truly not turning out the way it looked to be on the surface.
If it sounds like I’m being too vague it’s because this a movie that I feel benefits from going in knowing as little as possible (which as someone who follows the movie news cycle, was always going to be a challenge for me). Now, for those who don’t want to know anymore than what I’ve given you, I’d recommend checking the movie out first before reading the rest of this review. That being said, I felt Hancock does a very good job of getting one interested, showing just enough and making things seem suspicious on the outset, but in making one wonder in what way? Every time something is revealed, it may be surprising (or not, but still interesting) but is very well set up through solid foreshadowing and little hints that were present. It makes the film feel like a ride where one is curious as to what is going to happen next. I also feel like he does a great job nailing the tone, which is a mix of different things where we have the thriller aspect, but also a lot of comedy (the largely lands and is more low key) and some sci fi elements thrown in and it all manages to mesh together very well thanks to Hancock’s apparent abilities as a writer.
The script is strong, with a lot of the dialogue having quite a bit to it, with there being a lot of double meanings to what the characters are saying. It all ties into the various themes the movie is going after such as overreliance on technology, what it means to be in a toxic relationship, or finding oneself. It’s a lot to handle, but I felt Hancock had a firm grasp on what he wanted to say and it comes across organically, in particular how the film explores the relationship angles which I felt was very nuanced exploring way in which how someone would still be with a manipulative being and the toll that takes on one’s decisions. I’ll admit that the sci fi angle could’ve been explored a bit more, but I like how that was incorporated into the proceedings in ways both thematically interesting but also playfully as well with some refreshingly low key world building. My one issue with the script is that I do think it can be pretty heavy handed at times where Hancock feels the need to explain when I think showing what’ve been more effective. I also can’t say I love the use of narration at the beginning which spells out a bit too much and once one realizes what is actually going on, the actual story itself isn’t the most revolutionary. That doesn’t change the fact that it is still very well told and well paced at a lean and mean hour and 37 minutes.
Despite the small scale of the feature, Hancock and co. are still able to make this into an extremely well made picture. I thought editing wise, this was extremely well constructed with there being various moments where the camera would focus in on certain things which would play a role later on leading to some solidly done pay offs. Also the way in which scenes would be contrasted with each other in regards to tone were really well done as was the way how the memories of certain characters would be incorporated to add further context. Visually, this is a really nice looking movie with bright colors often contrasting with the darker undertones and violent actions at play and I thought it was nice touch how as the day goes into night, the more intense things get. Also just some really cool looking shots that also serve as powerful symbolism as well (a scene involving a burning arm is a great example of this). The soundtrack is also playful Hrishikesh Hirway’s score keeping up with the different tones at play very effectively and some amusing needle drops that make the film into even more of an unconventional love story.
Among the many neat aspects of this film is getting to see the newfound talent present here continue to grow as performers. The most notable ones being Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid who play the main couple at the center. The former is flat out outstanding here, giving such a layered performance that has so much depth to and Thatcher having to juggle so many emotions either at different times or even at once. Iris is a compelling lead who goes through a journey of self discovery that is familiar but so satisfying to watch unfold. Thatcher only adds to this with how she portrays what she going for, with the uncertainty she faces at the beginning to the newfound confidence she displays as the feature goes on. Even despite what is revealed about her and her actions in the picture, she still manages to be relatable in how she is unsure of what to do in the situations she finds herself in. Quaid also successfully brings a lot to his role as the seemingly caring Josh that has more up his sleeve than on the surface. He plays the nice guy persona really well, until he reaches a breaking point where is isn’t quite as considerate as he thinks he is and successfully transitions into someone immensely pathetic, but also dangerous. Both of them carry the movie well and their relationship is definitely an interesting one to dissect and a great examination of gaslighting and abuse.
The supporting cast also fires on all cylinders as well! The stand outs for me were Harvey Guillen and Lukas Gage as Eli and Patrick respectively. The former provides a lot of the funniest bits of the film and the latter ends up having a much deeper arc than I thought he would end up having and Gage shows off impressive range as the film progresses, ending up being immensely sympathetic. Their relationship was nicely handled and went in a direction I did not expect. Megan Suri is also very good as Kat, despite not being the showiest of the bunch as she serves as a good foil to Josh with their being interesting aspects of their friendship that I thought made certain plot developments more impactful. Rupert Friend is also very fun as Sergey, a potentially sleazy rich guy whose conversations can be more than a little awkward. I enjoyed his interactions with the other characters and Friend plays up the suspiciousness of him very well to the point where the audience questions what is this guy’s deal.
In all, I found Companion to be a great and compelling blend of genres that managed to entertain. It can be a little heavy handed, could’ve explored certain ideas a bit more, and may not be revolutionary in what it is saying. But it says what it attempt to say very well as it is briskly paced, successfully engages with various intriguing twists, has a lot on its mind, is well put together, is strong on a character level and has some fantastic performances. I really dug what Hancock was going for here and I do think it is a movie that likely works even better if one doesn’t know much about it going in. If you’re a fan of sci fi thrillers or like the talent involved, I think this would make for a solid watch and I hope that it continues to find a bigger audience after performing softly in theaters. It’s just neat to see an original high concept sci thriller like this that may have some familiarity but nails the execution. Also can’t wait to see what Hancock does next as Creggar seems to be fostering some good talent here.
Rating: A-
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