SPOILERS AHEAD (obviously)…
Directed by Drew Hancock, Companion is a modern genre-bending science fiction film about an artificial intelligence robot being misused and gaining autonomy, resulting in violent consequences. The story follows Iris, a beautiful and romantic woman hopelessly devoted to her partner, Josh. When Josh takes her on a weekend getaway to a lake house with his friends, things quickly go awry, leading to her self-discovery and a bloody fight for survival.
Companion provides commentary regarding advanced technology as well as maltreatment in human relationships through both disturbing and playful elements of its narrative. Although the storyline is rather cut and dried, there are nuggets embedded in the narrative that provide more insight into the universe when explored. These elements include foreshadowing, metaphor, and dark humor.
Praying on His Downfall
It is revealed at the very start of the film that Iris kills Josh, so the rest of the film is anticipating that event. Since it is clear that Iris is the film’s protagonist, it is already presumed that Josh would be the antagonist, but, in case that wasn’t already apparent, it quickly becomes obvious when Josh is portrayed as a manipulative, daft, and arrogant loser throughout the entirety of the story. Josh’s fate is also foreshadowed early in the film. When Sergey explains to Patrick that he is involved in a “dirty business.” This scene feels off for two reasons (and we’ll get to the second one later). The first is that Sergey uses a wine bottle opener, and the focus of the scene seems to shift there.
Later on, Josh is killed with that same wine bottle opener. Iris discovering a knife in her pocket is another nod to Josh’s role in the story. Iris is clearly surprised to find the knife, and the only person able to plant it on her would most likely be Josh. Plus, during the scene just before she heads down to the lake, Josh pulls her close to him and has his hands grabbing onto her pockets. It is highly likely that this is when that sleight of hand took place. Piecing this information together would suggest that Josh arranged for Iris to kill Sergey, which is later revealed.
Artificial Intimacy
There are many moments in the film that foreshadow Iris’s identity as a robot, but these moments also provide a commentary on how the modern world views and treats artificial intelligence and other forms of modern technology. Iris has a monologue at the beginning of the film, which she recites again just before the credits roll. In this monologue, she says, “most of the time it’s like there’s this thick black cloud covering everything. Like we see the world but we don’t really see the world.” This alludes to her existence as a robot, as her memories are simply outlines and never really happened. Her life is essentially a blur through her own eyes.
During the first present day scene, the screen is black and “Iris, wake up,” can be heard in Josh’s voice. Iris then appears to wake up from a car nap. It becomes clear later that this is an actual command that Iris must obey. During this same scene, Iris and Josh exit the car and Iris is hesitant about entering the lake house. When Josh asks her what ails her she hesitates again, to which he responds, “come on, Iris. You know you can’t lie to me.” This almost sounds endearing until the audience finds out that Iris literally cannot lie, so, it feels more like a psychological trap rather than a gesture of love. Josh also calls Iris “Beep-Boop,” as a nickname. It sounds…kind of dumb…but cute? Maybe? That is, until Iris’s identity is revealed. Then it’s just dumb. “Beep-Boop” is the most clever name this guy could come up with for his AI girlfriend, which checks out considering the lack of intelligence and inability to do literally anything for himself that he exhibits throughout the rest of the film.
The other characters in the film also play into the foreshadowing of Iris’s identity. When Sergey is first introduced to Iris, he refers to her as a “beautiful creation,” which could just be perceived as weird and creepy and an overall dumb thing to say to a woman, but with the whole picture becoming clear, it’s…even weirder and creepier. Later, during a dinner with the group, Iris and Patrick talk about how they felt when they first met their significant others. They are clearly very romantic and sentimental, and everyone else at the table just nod along. This trait that they share makes sense when it is revealed that they are both robots.
During a conversation with Iris, Kat refers to herself as “an accessory” to Sergey, rather than a human being. She then says, “look who I’m talking to,” referring to Iris. Iris seems a bit hurt by this, and Kat says, “it’s not that I don’t like you. It’s the idea of you. You make me feel so replaceable.” Kat clearly sees Iris as just a machine and does not like how her friends are romantically involved with artificial intelligence. Later, after Iris and Josh have sex, she tries to talk to him, but he says, “Iris, go to sleep.” Then there is silence in the dark room. This is another command that Iris must follow, which is also revealed later. The next morning, and another time later in the film, when Iris is asked about the weather, she provides an exact forecast, another foreshadow that she is a robot. Later, when Sergey tries to sexually assault Iris, “this is what you do. This is what you are for.”
Patrick also endures maltreatment due to his identity as a robot. When Josh resorts to trying to get Eli and Patrick in on the plan, he tells Eli that he will receive a cut of the money but Patrick will not because he “doesn’t count,” right in front of the poor guy. Throughout the film, Patrick seems to be happy-go-lucky and perhaps not the brightest candle on the cake, but, in reality, he is simply living in willful ignorance. He knows that he is a robot but continues to love Eli and let things be. He knows of his true identity but still chooses to believe in his memories. He says to Eli, “it may have never happened but my memory of it’s real.” Iris and Patrick are both mistreated, abused, and considered less than by the other members of the group. This seems to point at how AI and other modern forms of technology are misused and abused in real life.
Breaking the Cycle
Companion says a lot about manipulation and toxic behavior in relationships, primarily through the way Josh treats Iris. Starting at the beginning of the film, when Iris is nervous about seeing Josh’s friends, he tells her “don’t be all mopey and weird. Just remember to smile and act happy.” This is the first time Josh shows his true colors. When he gives her commands such as “wake up,” and “go to sleep,” it highlights how he treats her as a servant. In his eyes, she is meant to do whatever he decides. He can turn her on and off whenever he chooses. That is, until she escapes the lake house with his phone. This is when Iris gets her first taste of autonomy and freedom. She changes her settings around and learns how to gain control of herself.
Josh treats Iris like his property throughout the film. He also reveals to her that his plan was to use her to murder Sergey and then turn her over to the company she was manufactured at, proving that he found her to be disposable as well. When his plan goes awry and Iris escapes, he calls his phone to reach her and says, “I still love you, even after everything you’ve done.” When everything falls apart, he blames Iris for everything, trying to convince her that this is somehow her fault and she is lucky to still have his love (gag). This is a classic example of gaslighting, portrayed in the film to an extreme but representative of a common struggle in abusive relationships.
The candle scene is difficult to watch (if you know, you know). Josh turns Iris’s intelligence level all the way down to zero percent to make her a “mindless automaton.” He then orders her to hold her hand out in front of her and places a candle directly below it, burning her while she helplessly stares and weeps. He is torturing her and she is rendered unable to move. This is representative of those who are held psychologically captive in abusive situations. Iris’s whole arm catches fire before Josh finally orders Patrick to put it out. Later, toward the end of the film, Iris peels off the burnt flesh to reveal her robotic hand, breaking free of the past and embracing her autonomy and authentic self. In a mid-credits scene, Iris drives herself down a long road and passes another car where a man yells aggressively at a woman in the passenger’s seat, who wears a plastered-on polite smile. Iris reveals her hand to her and she is stunned. It is unclear whether or not the woman is another robot or not but either way, Iris is showing her the better, autonomous side of life.
Sick Jokes
Dark humor is present throughout Companion, adding levity and irony to a twisted narrative. Josh and Kat plot to kill Kat’s boyfriend, Sergey, during the weekend at the lake house. Kat tells Josh that Sergey is a mobster and that is murder would be justifiable, but she is lying to him. Early in the film, Patrick asks Sergey what he does for work and he replies that he has his “fingers in many pots” and that his “hands are not clean.” He also says it is a “very dirty business.” That second reason why this scene feels off is because it is later revealed that Sergey made his living in sod farming. The absurdity of this is truly laughable. Even though Sergey is a terrible person, Josh and Kat were obviously wrong to plot his murder.
Another darkly humorous moment comes when Josh reveals to Iris that she is a robot and she describes the way they met in detail, but Josh tells her that the moment never happened. He asks her if she wants to know how they met for real before a flashback occurs. As Iris is wheeled into Josh’s apartment in a box, the song, “Iris,” by the Goo Goo Dolls plays in the background. This is likely how he came up with her name and this is ever-so-fitting for his character, as he clearly is not intelligent enough to come up with anything of substance on his own, so he named her the first thing that popped into his head, the title of the song that was playing. This simply highlights once more how much of a pathetic person Josh is and adds comedic irony to the whole plot.
In the film, the company that manufactures these robots is called Empathix. This sounds a bit familiar to Anthropic, a company in real life that designs and regulates artificial intelligence. This may be an intentional play on the real business name. Companion tells a horrifyingly realistic story of what the future may look like in the modern age of technology, and, just like in the film, it is horrifyingly laughable.
