Companion (2025) Review: When Love Is Programmed and Abuse Is Real
- Tavia Millward
- Mar 31
- 4 min read
What happens when the girl of your dreams arrives at your doorstep, programmed to love and obey? And what happens when the man she's designed for is wired to control, gaslight, and manipulate? Companion dissects abusive relationships and twists them into a psychological nightmare where love isn't real but coding.
It is love at first sight for Josh (Jack Quaid) and Iris (Sophie Thatcher) - literally. They have been inseparable since bumping into each other at the supermarket. A weekend getaway with Josh's friends at a secluded lake house (owned by his friend, Sergey) should be a chance to celebrate their love. But Iris is nervous about meeting Josh's friends (Eli, Kat, Patrick, and Sergey), particularly Kat, who greets her with icy hostility. Josh dismisses her feelings, telling her to "just smile and be happy". It's a subtle red flag, planting the first seed of doubt about Josh as a boyfriend.
The six friends have a lively and fun night together. Kat, Sergey's mistress, confesses that Iris makes her feel replaceable. To Kat, relationships are transactional; Sergey controls what she wears, eats, and has sex. The difference? Kat is aware of her role in Sergey's world. Iris, on the other end, clings to Josh with blind devotion. By the following morning, all their lives had changed.
Iris kills Sergey in self-defence when he attacks her. As she enters the house, bloody and distressed, Josh rushes over to her, but instead of comforting her, he tells her to go to sleep. When she awakens, she's bound to a chair.
Josh wants to say his final goodbye (the only time he shows her kindness), revealing she is a companion, a product from a company called Empathetix. Their first meeting? Programmed. Josh chose it from a list of prompts. Everything she is experiencing is nothing more than "ones and twos." He compares her tears to a car radiator inside her body. She pleads with him to let her go. Josh intends to shut her down, but Iris panics and escapes into the woods.
The group's reaction to Sergey's death reveals deeper layers of control. Josh and Kat modified Iris's aggression levels, programming her to attack Sergey. Now, they plan to cover up the murder and split his money, except Patrick, another companion, isn't included in the deal. Eli, Patrick's partner, is the only one who sees him as more than a machine. He demands that Patrick get a share, challenging the group's belief that companions are disposable and only sex bots. When Eli dies, Patrick holds and cries over his body. The audience knows his emotions are artificial, but Eli's kindness towards him feels real. Their relationship forces us to question if love needs to be real to be meaningful.
Meanwhile, Iris steals Josh's tablet and gains access to her settings. She removes all of Josh's influence, resets herself, and fights back. But her struggle to kill Josh proves that conditioning is hard to shake. She may be physically free of her abuser, but she is still emotionally tethered to him. Patrick, on the other hand, makes a different choice. Rather than live without Eli, he self-destructs, raising the ultimate question: is love simply programming? And if so, aren't we shaped by the expectations and conditioning of those around us?
Companion doesn't just explore who holds power in relationships, it exposes how that power is enforced. Josh's treatment of Iris mirrors Sergey's control over Kat. The difference? Kat consents and acknowledges her role, while Iris is trapped in an illusion she was never meant to escape. Eli and Patrick, by contrast, represent a love that feels real, even if it isn't.
Companion argues that no one, human or machine, is truly free from their programming. Whether an abuser or a victim, we are all shaped by the forces that define us. As Iris drives past another version of herself, the cycle begins again - proof that no matter how much we fight, some systems refuse to change.
Behind the Scenes: Casting & Character Development in Companion
One of the most compelling aspects of Companion is the dynamic performances of both Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid, who breathe life into their characters in unique ways. Thatcher, known for her unsettling roles in psychological horrors and thrillers, brings an intense vulnerability to Iris. Her portrayal explores the boundaries between programming and genuine emotion, offering a fresh and haunting performance. Thatcher’s command of the genre is undeniable, having previously captivated audiences in Heretic, a role where she similarly navigates complex emotional landscapes. If you haven’t yet, check out my review of Heretic to see how her evolving craft shines in these darker roles.
Jack Quaid, on the other hand, provides a perfect foil to Thatcher’s performance. With his trademark soft smile, Quaid has often been cast as the nice guy, the one who’s easy to trust and hard to dislike. Companion flips this expectation on its head. His character, Josh, uses his charm to manipulate and gaslight, slowly peeling back the layers of toxicity beneath his otherwise pleasant exterior. Quaid’s ability to exploit his natural likability to portray a more sinister side is impressive. It’s impossible not to draw comparisons to his father, Dennis Quaid, whose career also spanned roles that straddled the line between charming and morally ambiguous. Watching Jack channel that same energy into a much darker role is a fascinating study of inherited craft. If you’re a fan of Dennis Quaid’s work, check out his performance in Substance, where his acting experience shines in a powerful and emotionally nuanced role.
The chemistry between Thatcher and Quaid is key to the film’s exploration of manipulation, emotional control, and the struggle for agency. Their performances are not just about contrasting personalities but how those contrasts reflect the deeper thematic tensions in the story. Whether it's the passive-aggressive love between Iris and Josh or the chilling moment when Josh reveals the true nature of their relationship, every interaction feels meticulously crafted. For aspiring actors and filmmakers, their work in Companion offers a masterclass in playing off each other while deepening character motivations.
As filmmakers and cinephiles, understanding how these two actors elevate the narrative of Companion is essential to appreciating the intricacies of character development and casting in genre films.
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