Companion Movie Review

Companion (2017)

Rent Companion on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Drew Hancock
Directed by: Drew Hancock
Starring: Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillén, Rupert Friend, Megan Suri
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
A weekend getaway with friends at a remote cabin turns into chaos after it's revealed that one of the guests is not what they seem.

Verdict
Not knowing the core premise would help the reveal, but this movie has a few surprises. This is a low stakes heist where the twist is an android. The theme is the blurry line of sentience. This android seems real in every sense; she's devoted to her owner who abuses an object that seems nearly human. It's an escape movie with a unique angle. Will man or machine triumph?
It depends.

Review
The underlying theme is the inherent inhumanity ascribed to a robot that seems completely human. While Iris (Sophie Thatcher) seems completely real and sentient which clouds judgement, Josh (Jack Quaid) is treating a seemingly sentient being like an object. Josh has forgone a typical relationship for something that serves him. It's difficult not to see him as selfish and self-absorbed especially since this relationship with Iris seem typical, at least at first. The more we learn about Josh, the more his actions are revealed to be abusive. While Iris is an android, she blurs that line between real and inanimate. If Josh can treat someone that looks and acts human like this, would he really treat a human any different? As humans we anthropomorphize all types of trivial objects and characters. Iris is much more. You have to wonder if Josh is some kind of sociopath.

Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid play Iris, Josh

Josh and Iris are joining friends for a weekend getaway. Not knowing that Iris is a robot would provide that reveal with a much bigger impact, but that plot point is also part of the draw. It's clear Kat (Megan Suri) knows Iris is an android, and we get a few teases with wry questions that, knowing the premise, we get the implication. 

The way Josh breaks the news to Iris is strange to the point of being cruel. She doesn't know she's an android, and he doesn't care she's in distress. Even being a robot, you'd think that having an ongoing relationship with her would blur that line for Josh. As humans we form bonds with inanimate objects, assigning them some importance. Josh seems to have no feelings for her. Iris is in distress and Josh doesn't care. That makes it clear what she always was to him.

Jack Quaid plays Josh

You can't tell a robot you're going to shut it down. Hearing that, Iris is desperate to survive. What we slowly realize is that Josh illegally modified her settings. That's what allows her to attack people and initially escape. Josh was using her to steal money. Josh is terrible, committing a crime by using an android as the weapon.

This story isn't content just to rely on the premise of Iris as an android. There's more to the plot.

Iris is trying to escape, but she's at an isolated cabin with multiple people after her. At one point she obtains her controls which allow her modify her attributes. When she maxed her intelligence, I did expect a more clever plan. This also allows her to change her voice, and I liked how that is used.

This is a movie where we root against the humans and for the android because the humans are terrible. Later in the movie Josh rants about how difficult life is for him. It garners no sympathy, but it explains why he has a disregard for those around him.