Dive into the world of "Companion," the sci-fi thriller that's turning heads and challenging our perceptions of AI, relationships, and humanity. Join us as we explore why this film is a must-watch, breaking down its unique take on technology, toxic masculinity, and the blurred lines between human and artificial intelligence.
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00:00Are you breaking up with me?
00:05It's not you, it's me.
00:08Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're breaking down the reasons that you should run, not
00:13walk, to see director Drew Hancock's twisty, darkly hilarious sci-fi thriller Companion.
00:18She's tied up inside so she's not going anywhere.
00:21What's Companion about?
00:22There have been two moments in my life when I was happiest.
00:28The first was the day I met Josh, and the second, the day I killed him.
00:36Do you remember when you met your significant other?
00:38How could you forget such a magical, life-changing moment?
00:42Well, what if that moment was a lie, fabricated to form a love link between you and your owner?
00:48And yes, we did say owner.
00:50Companion follows young couple Iris and Josh, who embark on what's intended to be a relaxing
00:55weekend getaway to a friend's remote lake house.
00:59As you can imagine, things quickly go awry, and Iris learns that, in a Blade Runner-esque
01:04twist, she isn't a quote-unquote real person.
01:08Rather, she's a Companion robot intended to alleviate Josh's supposed loneliness.
01:13As the situation begins to snowball further and further out of their control, Iris realizes
01:17that it's every person and android for themselves, and that a greater, more sinister conspiracy
01:23is actually afoot.
01:31Where do I know the cast from?
01:40Modern-day Scream Queen Sophie Thatcher plays Iris, the titular Companion.
01:45If Thatcher looks familiar to you, there are a few possible answers there.
01:49Maybe you've seen the Showtime psychological thriller series Yellowjackets, in which Thatcher
01:54plays a younger version of Juliette Lewis's character.
01:57Or maybe it's the A24 horror flick Heretic, which sees Thatcher playing a Mormon missionary
02:02sent to convert a nefarious Hugh Grant.
02:16Iris' boyfriend Josh is played by The Boys star Jack Quaid, playing into his nice-guy
02:21image to great effect.
02:23Harvey Guillen, star of FX's underrated What We Do in the Shadows, plays Josh's friend
02:28Eli.
02:29And the ubiquitous Lucas Gage, who you might remember from Euphoria and The White Lotus,
02:34plays Eli's partner Patrick.
02:45Josh's friend Kat is played by Megan Suri, best known for Netflix's Never Have I Ever,
02:50in one of her first major film roles.
02:52Lastly, but hardly least, is established character actor Rupert Friend as the mysterious Sergei,
02:58who owns the aforementioned lake house that the characters vacation at.
03:12Who's behind the camera?
03:30Considering Companion's rave reviews and success at the box office, you might be surprised
03:35to learn that Drew Hancock, the director and screenwriter behind the film, is a novice.
03:40Companion is his debut feature film.
03:43Speaking to Room Morgue about how the film came to be, Hancock revealed that Barbarian
03:47filmmaker and former comedian Zack Krager, who also produced the film, nearly directed
03:52Companion himself.
03:53Hancock, who wrote the movie's script on spec, kept the budget in mind as a way to make it
03:58more likely that Companion would be made altogether.
04:26But Hancock, quote,
04:27"'I didn't want to be a burden on Companion, because I knew a first-time director comes
04:31with a lot of compromises.
04:33You're not going to get a big budget.
04:35You're probably not going to get any studio interest.'"
04:37Hancock, who had given Krager considerable input on how he saw the film getting made,
04:42got his wish when Krager bowed out of directing to focus on producing.
04:46Talk about a lucky break.
04:48How did the concept of Companion originate?
04:51Um, that is a story that's probably very boring.
04:55It just popped in my head, like fully formed.
04:58It's like rarely that it ever happens.
04:59Like usually I have to work really hard to figure out what the movie is.
05:03It's actually better if you know the twist.
05:05Ask the director.
05:06There was just a spark.
05:14So at this point, if you haven't seen Companion, you might be wondering why we've gone ahead
05:18and given away what seems to be the movie's biggest twist.
05:21That Iris isn't human, but an android.
05:24Before you leave angry comments, allow us to explain.
05:27Even Hancock, the film's director, has openly stated that knowing the twist going in allows
05:32you to have a greater appreciation for Companion.
05:50In that same room org interview, Hancock revealed that the decision to make the twist an integral
05:55part of how audiences experience the film came from the Warner Bros.
05:59Marketing Department.
06:00The director also expressed his desire to avoid making a puzzle-box movie, saying that,
06:05quote,
06:06You're never enjoying the movie as a movie.
06:08You're always trying to get one step ahead.
06:10You're watching everyone's behavior, and you're not getting immersed in the story.
06:13Do you not like me, Kat?
06:16You know, it's not that I don't like you, Iris.
06:22It's the idea of you.
06:25You make me feel so... replaceable.
06:30A darkly hilarious examination of AI fears.
06:32When you're with the perfect guy, you're just waiting for those three little words.
06:37The best way to think about Companion and its take on increasingly prominent artificial
06:41intelligence technology?
06:43Hancock succinctly described the film as being a, quote,
06:47Robot movie, but it's not like any other robot movie that's out right now.
06:51It's not AI gone wrong, it's AI gone right.
06:54Time magazine's Megan McCluskey placed Companion in the context of other robots-gone-wild movies.
07:00Noting that, quote,
07:01There have been a number of near-future sci-fi offerings dealing in the perils of romantic
07:05involvements with AI, a real phenomenon which is only bound to increase, even if, for now,
07:11it takes more of an emotional than physical form.
07:13Hey, you just got an email from Mark Luman.
07:15What are you talking about?
07:17Uh, read the email.
07:19Okay, I will read email for Theodore Conkley.
07:22I'm sorry, what's Luman say?
07:26McCluskey further points out that Companion uses a different approach, taking specific
07:31aim at in-cell culture by portraying Iris as a good-for-her final girl who's well within
07:36her rights to violently fight back against Josh and his entitled, nice-guys-finish-last
07:41shtick.
07:42Simply put, to paraphrase an old dating cliche, the problem isn't the robots, it's us, the
07:48ones doing the program.
07:49The days of you controlling me are over.
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08:10An eye-opening take on toxic masculinity.
08:12What I like is that he's a villain who doesn't know he's a villain and, um, you know, he...
08:19It feels like a guy you could actually meet, which is a really scary thing, you know?
08:24Oh, yeah.
08:25Finding empathy, uh, towards him was, uh, difficult at first, but I eventually just
08:29kind of stumbled on, uh, I think he's a guy who has not heard the words I love you in
08:34his life.
08:35Yes, on the surface, Companion is another movie about a robot that rebels against its
08:39programming as it learns what being human is all about.
08:42Indeed, in many ways, Thatcher's Iris is the most human character in the movie.
08:47So once you start to peel back the layers a little bit, you'll find that Companion is
08:51much more than just another robot movie.
08:54Said director Drew Hancock, Companion is a, quote, movie about self-discovery.
08:59And at its core, is a breakup movie about this woman finding empowerment through discovery
09:03of self.
09:04I love her so much and immediately resonated with her from the beginning.
09:09Just mean relationships, I've been there before, and I've been that anxious and that insecure,
09:16so that was really easy to tap into.
09:18But then I also grew with her as we were filming this.
09:21Even star Jack Quaid agrees with this assessment in calling for audiences to actively hate
09:26on his character.
09:27Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Quaid used that, quote, a lesser movie would have probably
09:32made my character the protagonist and Iris the antagonist who's going crazy, and Josh
09:37has to save the day.
09:38Referring to Companion as a, quote, slightly more realistic version where Josh is doing
09:43all of this for very selfish reasons.
09:45He's just a very lonely, insecure person who has this void inside of him and he, you
09:50know, he's trying to get along and yeah, he thinks he's the hero of his own story.
09:56I mean, incorrectly, but you know, I use a lot of delusion there, you know, I'd watch
10:02John Cusack movies from the 80s because that's who I think Josh thinks he is.
10:07What does that mean exactly?
10:08Well, we guess you'll just have to see Companion for yourself.
10:11Have you seen Companion?
10:13What did you think of it?
10:14Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
10:17Spark.
10:18Do you agree with our picks?
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