Culture Magazine

Companion (2025) Asks About Dating Culture

By Paskalis Damar @sinekdoks
Read Time:7 Minute, 9 Second

The best way to enjoy Drew Hancock’s feature directorial debut, Companion, is to know as little as possible about the plot—especially the build-up to the first-act revelation. However, this might sound counterintuitive from a marketing perspective, given the rousing nature of its genre hybrid. After all, it’s the film’s main premise: a killer combination of sci-fi, rom-com, and thriller.

The studio, however, doesn’t seem to have the same opinion. If we look at the promotional materials for the film, they’re exuding confidence if not an almost carefree attitude. It seems that the filmmakers wouldn’t mind spilling the tea in exchange for the hype that they will pay off when the end credits roll. In all seriousness, this is a film that features “from the studio that brought you The Notebook alongside “from the creators of Barbarian in its promotional material—the former a swooning romance, the latter an unprecedented horror.

I keep thinking that Barbarian’s shoutout is more than just an acknowledgment (Zach Cregger serves as a producer); it’s a hint. Both films operate on the same consciousness plane—the best way to experience them is with minimal prior knowledge. Yet, like a persistent date asking for reassurance, Companion poses the question: if you already know everything, can we still make it work?

Heavy Spoiler Ahead. Proceed with Caution.

Companion opens with a voice-over delivered by Sophie Thatcher’s Iris—detailing how her life had been hollow before she met Jack Quaid’s Josh. She recalls their meet-cute at a grocery store: Iris, stunning like a porcelain doll, exudes a charm that instantly reminds me of Sophie Ellis-Bextor in the Murder on the Dancefloor music video, walking down an aisle and catching the attention of the nervous Josh—who tries to impress her but ends up knocking over an entire rack of oranges. She then continues her monologue, saying, “There have been two moments in my life when I was happiest.” The first one happens in the montage as she meets Josh. The second one? The day she killed him—a twist the film makes no effort to conceal.

Sophie Thatcher as Iris in Companion (2025)Sophie Thatcher as Iris — looking like a vintage, porcelain doll

Hancock’s film doesn’t shy away from spilling the most pivotal moment right from the get-go. Only then does the film lay bare its next clue, signaling where the story is heading. Josh, in an unnatural but subtle way, wakes Iris up as they approach the lakeside ‘rustic’ cabin, where they will spend the weekend with Josh’s friends alongside their respective partners. A shadow of doubt lingers as Iris wonders whether the group—consisting of Kat (Megan Suri) and her rich Russian boyfriend, Sergey (Rupert Friend), as well as Eli (Harvey Guillén) and a near-perfect boyfriend, Patrick (Lukas Gage)—will accept her, knowing that this is the first time she’s hanging out with them.

At the onset, Companion masquerades as a rom-com, and it seems like a likable one—at least for the hopeless romantics out there. Josh is the definition of just ‘the guy,’ while Iris is the near-perfect love interest whose insecurities might be the flaw that binds them together. A weekend getaway seems like a perfect catalyst for their romance to bloom and, at the same time, be tested. Yet, there’s a hint that something isn’t quite right in their relationship. If the wake-up call doesn’t quite feel off, the way Josh allows Iris to carry all their luggage might be more alarming. If Iris’s gestures don’t hint at anything, then the way she describes the weather might raise some suspicion.

After all, it doesn’t take long before things start to go south. Iris’s suspicion that Kat doesn’t approve of her turns into an enigmatic dialogue, which soon triggers an event revealing Iris’ sheer devotion, if not obsession, with Josh. When the morning comes, the film is ready to open up another laid-bare reveal: that Iris isn’t human; she’s what Josh calls an emotional support robot—a polite way to say sex-bot. And that happens only when the first blood has been drawn.

Companion seems to give away at least two heavyweight twists during the first act as if the story starts in medias res—even though it doesn’t. In doing so, the film checks all the boxes to pack these powerful punches with clever breadcrumbs, tricking those who haven’t been exposed to the film’s promotions. Truth be told, it never quite reaches the maximum impact once the secrets are laid bare, but the plot couldn’t care less. It’s a film with the sole purpose of entertaining, and it does a great job for those willing to partake in the joyride. In fact, it only gets more exhilarating once those twists are revealed as if there’s a sense of liberation in whatever it plans next.

There are more twists ahead, but they never keep up with the film’s shift into a cat-and-mouse thriller. It doesn’t shy away from embracing the genre conventions, charting familiar territory, but with gusto. The structure is reminiscent of how Radio Silence‘s Ready or Not ventures into dark humor whenever necessary but still manages to be satisfying when all the madness subsides. Yet, the film’s remote location evokes elements that Ex Machina executed admirably—where the whole plot is a real-time Turing test for the robotic character. A small chunk of Companion references it, but only between dialogues, almost casually. At the very least, it’s having fun proving that giving away the premise isn’t a bad thing when done right and purposefully.

Dating Culture Revisited

While it’s sci-fi at the heart and a thriller in the head, Companion is still a dating film (or break-up story) through and through. It has a futuristic quality, but beneath the surface, it’s a story from the present time. It subtly takes a dig at dating culture—where singles seek the perfect match to appease their idealized partner projections.

Iris, or at least the entity that she is, represents the ideal partner. Josh can mold her into his dream girl; she is programmed to understand him and become obsessed with him, even when, on paper, he’s not worth all that obsession. A man like him no longer needs to compete for her attention; there’s no struggle to meet her standards. He can even customize her to feed his ego—the color of her eyes, her voice, and even her wit. When things don’t work out, he can reset her to factory settings or, worse, return her to the company that produced her. In short, he doesn’t need to constantly swipe right or left to find the ideal girl.

Jack Quaid and Sophie Thatcher in Companion (2025)Jack Quaid and Sophie Thatcher in Companion (2025)

Thatcher slots elegantly into the role of Iris with her porcelain, vintage look. She needs no introduction to fit the ideals of boys who grew up making 500 Days of Summer their bible. Her acting range is tested by all the available customizations that Iris’s model is capable of. She even looks alive—like one of us.

Quaid’s Josh, on the other hand, makes a perfect, innocently viewed villain—whose instincts constantly tell him he’s not a bad guy. He’s a half-man who tells himself that a good guy like him deserves something good, just because life has been treating someone like him unfairly. He’s unaware that his obsessions with the too-good-to-be-true partner are merely manifestations of his fragile ego. Yet, like in any other incel story, his ego will be his downfall, along with his false idealism.

This is where the toxic traits of dating culture emerge—masked as the film’s Turing Test. Josh’s manipulative behavior keeps Iris in check, gaslit into fitting his grand scheme. He relies on Iris to fill the void inside his soul—something that Iris ironically references in the opening monolog. When she finally breaks free, Josh isn’t ready for the consequences—just like any incel wouldn’t be. And that’s when all hell breaks loose.

All these dating allusions elevate Companion from a cheap thrill to a layered story—even if its implications lean more tongue-in-cheek than full-blown philosophical. So, back to that question before: if you already know everything, can we still make it work? With this Companion, anything is possible—even if it’s a bumpy rollercoaster.


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