‘Tis the season filled with romance in the air. It’s that time of the year to express love between one another in both heartfelt words and actions. Signifying the perfect social temperature to take a little risk and ask that special someone in mind out for a cliche movie theater date. With the already released directorial debut of Drew Hancock’s “Companion,” last Friday, Jan. 31, it is conveniently out in time for Valentine’s Day dates and horror comedy fans to enjoy.
To give an intentionally vague plot synopsis, the film follows its central protagonist, Iris (Sophie Thatcher), who joins her boyfriend Josh (Jack Quaid) on a secluded weekend retreat in hopes of making good impressions on her partner’s friends who are shown to be reluctant in accepting her as Josh’s girlfriend. As Iris does what she can to please Josh and his friends, her presence may not live up to expectations when her purpose slowly comes into question.
Fresh off of her performance last year in Scott Beck and Brian Wood’s faith-challenging horror film “Heretic,” Sophie Thatcher again proves to be an actress breaking out right in front of the industry’s eyes with back-to-back standout performances. The “Yellowjackets” star’s challenging portrayal of Iris is executed effortlessly as the role consistently asks her to switch and convey underlying emotions through subtle facial expressions that deepen the impact of her character’s surprising arch. New and established fans of Thatcher will be excited to see what other future creative projects she decides to lend her talents to.
Jack Quaid playing opposite Sophie Thatcher, allows the pair to showcase the back-and-forth chemistry between their character’s two-faced relationship within the film. However, Quaid’s casting is extremely clever as many may recognize him from his character as the innocent Hughie in the popular political superhero show, “The Boys.” This allows for a sort of “reverse type-casting” that smartly subverts the audience’s expectations of Josh as a character, specifically as a romantic partner.
Think of Justin Long’s casting as AJ in 2022’s, far-from-romantic cult-horror film, “Barbarian” directed by Zach Cregger, as an example to define “reverse type-casting.” Uncoincidently, Cregger also serves as a producer on “Companion,” which hints at what fans might anticipate before doing their best to go into theaters blind by avoiding the film’s more than revealing advertising.
This mistake by the marketing team behind “Companion” will unfortunately dull some big swings in its new approach to common, but ever-relevant, subject matters for over-exposed audiences. The film asks viewers to question similar themes within the sci-fi genre, such as Ridley Scott’s classic 1982 film “Blade Runner.” While also mixing in the misogynistic discussions portrayed in relationship dramas such as George Cukor’s 1944 film “Gaslight” and Craig Gillespie’s 2017 film “I, Tonya.”
Thankfully, what is questionably revealed in the trailers for “Companion” is not enough for audiences to be disappointed with what is truly underneath the hood of its short but sweet runtime. Hancock showcases his ability to create sharp narrative turns alongside witty comedic timing that gives date-night viewers a little bit of everything while watching this welcoming debut.
Verdict: Watching “Companion” is a perfect date-night opportunity that will surprise horror comedy fans who are in the mood to understand what love is not, and ponder what defines the value of life over another as they come out of the theater. So long as audiences can avoid the film’s spoiler-filled advertising, it is more than worth the price of admission at the local theater.
