The Cracking of Rose Colored Glasses in 'Companion'
By Alivia Stonier
Have you ever dreamed of the perfect meet-cute? The type of relationship that feels pulled straight from fiction, a love only captured in pages and print? This is the partnership that Iris, played by 2025’s beloved scream queen Sophie Thatcher, feels for Josh, played by Jack Quaid. For a fee in this world, you too can find your “true” and controllable love.
Companion (2025) comes from the mind of Drew Hancock and, in a deliciously twisted pairing, the studio that brought both The Notebook and Barbarian to screens around the world.
The film kicks off when the couple sets off on a trip for the weekend to a friend’s billionaire estate. What immediately becomes clear upon arrival is Iris’s apprehension and her desire for approval from Josh’s friends. Viewers quickly understand why his friends act strangely toward her, as if she isn’t even part of the equation for the weekend.
The film rushes into the explanation at times by making the fact that Iris is an AI-powered robot obvious through dialogue early into the runtime. Although the marketing team is typically separate from those working on the film itself, the trailers for the film also unfortunately take away the weight this reveal could have held.
A lot of the pacing may have benefited from keeping this element of the film a secret from viewers, allowing them to be lulled more into the farce of a true romance before it turns sideways. After all, this is the studio that brought arguably one of the most culturally significant romance films in modern pop culture. Without this buildup, the connections in the film are left feeling a bit disjointed, including the friendships, which feel like a background element by the film’s end.
Certain moments also take away from the charge of the film, with dance sequences that feel over the top. While this can be seen as a decision to add to the glossy quality placed over the relationship for Iris, at times, the tone didn’t quite land in contrast with the behaviors of Josh’s friends.
Despite these downfalls, the film has a lot of charm, blending sudden humor with serious themes. For fans of horror and thrasher eye candy, the cinematography also delivers on some hauntingly gory visuals. With moments that are certainly painted a deep shade of red. It also delivers unexpected twists, such as the revelation that Josh intentionally planned for Iris to develop free will and, with that, more feelings by jailbreaking her through a mod he created.
However, he does so at the expense of Iris by putting her in harm’s way to kill the billionaire friend for money. It speaks to how much Josh truly sees her as a disposable product for his pleasure and gain. Moments like this, when viewers see Iris defend herself against the terrible people Josh has exposed her to, are truly where the film shines. It speaks to the feminist values upheld by the director and amplifies the voices of women.
From the very beginning of the film, an element that shines is Thatcher’s performance. Subtlety is laced across her depiction of the character, down to the way she walks and the tone in her voice. Thatcher expertly keeps her finger on the pulse of an artificial final girl.
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Where the chemistry in this film really reaches its climax is when Thatcher and Quaid share moments alone. When the wool is pulled from Iris’s eyes and she is able to see Josh for who he is, a diabolical, selfish man who calls her “beep boop.”
Deeply introspective and caring of others. Iris is the perfect foil to Josh, as she holds more humanity and care than her human counterparts. Through this lens of Josh being self-serving while prioritizing the well-being of others around her. The script and overall concept bring an important conversation to the table about the dynamic between staying true to ourselves and maintaining romantic relationships.
Interestingly, throughout the film, the AI referred to love as a feeling of pain. It's true that at times romantic love can be some of the most intense and tumultuous that people will experience within their lives.
“Love is a biological necessity—it’s as needed for our well-being as exercise, water, and food,” said neuroscientist Stephanie Cacioppo, PhD. As research has been conducted outside of the world of film it has become much more understood that romantic attraction activates the reward systems and happy chemicals in the brain much more significantly than other dynamics.
As this has become more understood as an element of the human psychological experience, the lengths of what people are willing to put up with and that they are willing to go through to maintain these relationships are more understandable on a psychological level. It also becomes that much more terrifying when these behaviors are used against someone or manipulated for personal gain.
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After rightfully breaking up with him, Iris, the product that he purchased, leaves him in denial and shock. He refuses to let her go, and instead, the audience sees him begin to tighten his grip in desperation, hungry for the validation and attention he has always craved.
When even a love he has paid for is not stable, where does that leave him in terms of his ability as a partner, and how does it speak to his ability to love? What he sees in himself in these moments clearly leaves him unsettled.
The tension between the two reaches its breaking point when Josh forces Iris to sit for a candlelit dinner, a moment that starkly contrasts with their previous tense interactions by stripping Iris of any remaining agency. When she still disobeys his wishes and instead treats him as the man that he is, the cracks in his kindness become even more apparent when he turns her intelligence down to zero. Iris is left without a voice, and despite trying to indicate that she can now feel pain, he forces her to put the candle under her hands and burn herself until the skin reveals metal below.
Josh seeks to destroy those who deliver a damaging blow to his ego, wanting to hurt them in the same way he has not been able to heal himself. It’s revealed that he’s willing to hurt others for personal gain, even leading to other friends meeting an untimely end.
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The film speaks to these themes of how these dynamics can become toxic and, at times, abusive within relationships in a way that captures things through a visceral and physical lens. What’s most satisfying and beautiful is seeing the story of a woman finally being liberated from these conditions and able to find her own identity outside of a relationship. Whether fictional or based in reality, it can be easy to lose yourself in love, just as Iris places rose-colored glasses on the memory of the pair’s first meeting.
Not to mention the very satisfying ending scene that ties everything together beautifully for Iris, as Josh meets his untimely end, and she is able to finally live a life outside of what was originally programmed and designated for her.
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Overall, the film was definitely one worth watching but could have been more impactful and suspenseful within the horror genre, particularly in how it approached its primary themes. It felt as though much of the film didn’t trust the intelligence of the viewer to unravel the themes for themselves.
Outside of this, there is an undeniable charm the film brings to the table, with a passionate protagonist to root for and celebrate, one who is deeply intelligent and worth loving, despite how underestimated she has been by the person she loves most throughout the entire runtime.
