Companion review: an entertaining Valentines revenge thriller

In Companion, Drew Hancock’s romance thriller, the sweet, 20-something Iris (Sophie Thatcher) is obsessed with her boyfriend. She can’t get him out of her head, smiles to herself 24/7, and wears baby pastel colors, clearly smitten. Despite her anxiety about impressing his friends on an impending weekend getaway and her fear of embarrassing Josh, she’s willing to push through to make him happy, which is all she wants.

And how could she not be obsessed? Josh (Jack Quaid) is perfect … ly average. And kind of nice, sometimes? But not really. Actually, now that you mention it, why is she so captivated by him?

Companion spoilers ahead

To put it simply (this is your last chance to look away to avoid major spoilers) … she has been programmed to love him. Iris is a sophisticated sex robot, designed to provide a ‘girlfriend experience’ to her owner – in this case, Josh.

Several things complicate this situation: first, Iris had no idea she was a robot until her boyfriend unceremoniously drops the news on her. Secondly, he drops this bombshell just after hacking her AI protocols to commit a gruesome murder. And thirdly, she now needs to escape her impending forced shutdown ASAP.

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Plot holes galore

It’s a strong concept for a thriller – if only it committed to its initial vague teaser trailer, the robotic reveal might have been a rewarding surprise for a pre-Valentines Day movie audience expecting something closer to a Sofia Coppola-esque anti-romance, based on the soft pastel aesthetics of the film’s marketing. You could be forgiven for expecting this, as there are strong parallels between Iris and a young Priscilla Presley, with their shared 60’s aesthetic and perceived role as an accessory to their partners.

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However, the film’s premature reveal of its central twist undercuts the impact of the overall story. A strong concept, a sardonic tongue-in-cheek tone and charismatic performances by the lead actors can’t fully compensate for a half-baked script which gets bogged down in its own world building.

In sci-fi it’s crucial to make world building decisions as questions naturally arise. In this case, questions might be; what are the physical limitations of the robots? When the robots are hacked, how much can you change them? Do they actually feel love? Does everyone in the world commit to the bit of constantly lying in order to ensure Companions never discover they’re robots?

You can either choose to leave the ‘rules’ vague and let the audience come to their own conclusions on your sci-fi universe – think Ex Machina or Blade Runner. You can also choose to create some very clear, unbendable rules which are referred back to when needed – think The Substance or Gremlins. The danger zone is when a story tries to explain too much, but is ultimately unable to answer enough questions to tie up the giant web of plot holes.

This is where Companion gets stuck. (A generally good rule to follow is, if you have a character who can literally dial up their intelligence to 100%, the script then needs to be similarly intelligent.) In Companion, characters act inconsistently and motivations are murky at best, ultimately distracting us from the tense chase unfolding. When Iris is betrayed by Josh, her obsessive love for him almost instantly disappears, which is satisfying for us as an audience but is unrealistic for a robot who has been programmed to protect and ‘love’ her master at all cost.

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Unexplored AI potential

There are so many important questions that this story raises, but then doesn’t explore to it’s full potential. The most pressing and timely is: how does sexual consent apply to artificial intelligence in this scenario? Iris clearly suffers pain, anxiety, and betrayal – until it is revealed otherwise, she fully believes that she is a real human with memories and emotions. She goes on a journey of escape and vengeance and wants justice. Why wouldn’t she reckon with her own sexual coercion, which is seemingly the main purpose for her existence.

These aren’t out-there, futurist concepts: these are very real scenarios in technology that we are already facing today. We know that AI and deep-fake technology are common use, and men are using these tools in greater numbers. Companion AI chat bots which are frequently used for sexual gratification are very real (Replika, Character.A.I, Kindroid, Chai.A.I, etc). Sex robots with artificial intelligence are very real. Pornographic deep fakes are consistently being produced without the consent or knowledge of the subject being depicted. Iris is the personification of these products, but also of women who constantly have their consent assumed and their boundaries crossed. So how does she feel about it? We don’t know.

Even beyond the AI commentary, this film could have been a reflection on the nature of abusive relationships. How many of us can relate to the experience of watching a friend or loved one become lost in a relationship with a severe power imbalance? Iris’ pouring her love into a person who feels entitled to her as an object of sexual and romantic gratification is unsettlingly familiar. But the complete loss of her devotional connection to Josh early into the film strips us of both tension and this analogy, leaving only a surface level thriller in its wake.

The script makes some attempt to reveal Josh as a weak-willed, incel-type personality who feels entitled to the time and energy of women in his life, and who seems to have purchased Iris more out of sexual frustration than a longing for a genuine companion. But even this doesn’t go far enough. Josh’s feelings towards Iris are unclear – he reveals she is a robot out of a sense of pity, he is willing to throw her under the bus like a malfunctioning toy, he wants her to suffer pain and anguish for defying him – does he see her as a person, and object, or both? Does he feel anything or is he a sociopath? Our inability to answer these questions feels less like an intellectual exercise and more like a story that needed more fleshing out.

Overall, Companion is an entertaining revenge-thriller with some genuinely funny moments, great production design and engaging performances. Perhaps try to avoid thinking too hard about the implications of the story for maximum enjoyment this Valentines Day.

Companion is in cinemas now.