Once again, men prove to be absolutely terrifying
By SAVANNAH ANNO — arts@theaggie.org
With a pastel pink title card, dreamy doo-wop music and a grocery store meet-cute in the very first scene, the structure of “Companion,” as a whole, perfectly encapsulates the relationship between its two main characters. Iris (Sophie Thatcher) is beautiful, endearing and dedicated to her seemingly lovable and witty boyfriend, Josh (Jack Quaid) — but of course, about 15 minutes in, it all turns out to be a ruse.
Perhaps the movie’s biggest mistake, “Companion” gives away its most exciting twist in its trailers and promotions — look away now if you still haven’t seen the movie — revealing Iris to be a robot, one that Josh purchased and programmed to act out his idea of the perfect girl.
For viewers who went into the film blind, the reveal was rewarding. As Josh takes Iris to a remote house in the woods (of course) for a weekend away with his friends. Director Drew Hancock does a fantastic job of not entirely giving the twist away, but making sure that things feel… off.
The way Iris walks, talks and is able to tell Josh the exact temperature at any moment offers an eeriness that all builds up to the very first moment where, in a panic, Josh audibly commands her to “go to sleep.” Not only does she go to sleep, but her eyes roll back into her head as she powers down.
While it was disappointing to have the big twist taken from you, the other half of viewers who knew what was coming were also able to enjoy the hints and puns Hancock embedded into the first couple of scenes. While Josh’s cast of friends — the deeply-in-love couple Eli and Patrick, the snide Kat and the owner of the house, Sergey — are all in on the secret, so is the audience, allowing them to pick up on things like why Kat is so unsettled by Iris’ presence.
“Companion” hits the mark when it comes to balancing comedy and murder, with the audience sure to laugh at least once during every scene. Where it falls short, however, points to a glaring issue in its ability to provide depth to the main theme at hand: how men view and treat women.
While Iris’ existence as a robot allows audiences to easily connect the dots to a feminist lens, the horror of the idea feels overshadowed at times. Small moments like Iris realizing Josh had her intelligence setting programmed to 40% or him reasoning his purchase of her by saying, “It’s so hard to be a guy like me” (a straight, cisgender, white male), are lost in a sea of frenzied action and comedy, rather than giving audiences time to actually contemplate their significance to the reality most women face on a daily basis (without being robots).
This, of course, could be excused by the argument that “Companion” doesn’t need to be a serious critique of the way men view women — disposable machines they dream of completely controlling — as other films and works already do that. But, the idea of excusing a film as being “just for fun,” when it simultaneously parallels domestic abuse relationships, shows Iris losing her autonomy and touches on sexual assault, doesn’t seem right.
Hancock being another straight, white male and the movie being created by an all-male crew — except for the set decoration, wardrobe and makeup leads, of course — “Companion” makes you wonder what it could have been shaped into if directed by a woman instead.
While ending in female empowerment, as Iris kills Josh with a wine-opener — reclaiming her power by, in turn, treating him as an object for once — “Companion” focuses more on the robot and less on women, reflecting its attempted themes right back at its creators.
Written by: Savannah Anno — arts@theaggie.org
