Drew Hancock’s “Companion” (2025) is already one of the best surprises of the year. It features a talented group of actors, and it does not take too much of the audience’s time. At a runtime of one hour and 37 minutes, “Companion” offers an intriguing story taking turns viewers will not expect upon watching.
The film follows a young couple, Josh (Jack Quaid) and Iris (Sophie Thatcher), as they attend a weekend getaway with their friends at a billionaire’s remote cabin. However, this friendly get-together turns bloody after Iris kills the billionaire Sergey (Rupert Friend). Iris then discovers a shocking secret kept from her by her boyfriend.
“Companion” does not try to be more than what it already is. It is a perfectly self-contained story that knows its boundaries and understands that going outside of those boundaries could potentially turn off the viewers’ attention.
The film is well written, acted and shot, but it is ultimately about control and abuse within romantic relationships. The audience immediately knows there is something fishy with Josh and how he treats and talks about Iris.
When the audience meets Iris, she is instantly likable. As the story progresses and things go wrong, viewers only want her to make it out of the situation alive unscathed. It is good to see actors like Thatcher and Quaid getting more roles and recognition for their work.
Thatcher recently starred in A24’s “Heretic” (2024) alongside Chloe East, and Quaid is most famous for his role as Hughie Campbell in Amazon Prime’s “The Boys.” Both work well with each other and are the film’s heart and soul. Without them, the film would suffer greatly.
The other main performers: Friend, Harvey Guillén’s Eli, Lukas Gage’s Patrick and Megan Suri all do a fine job with their roles. However, there could have been maybe some more time spent with them and their motivations and dramas.
“Companion” separates itself from a film like “Barbarian” (2022) with its comedy. Hancock’s script has some truly hilarious scenes, and it does not rely too much on humor to make sure the audience is still watching.
The film has a steady balance between its comedic scenes and scenes bordering between being frightening or disturbing. The viewer will never be caught off guard with the change from comedy to horror because it flows naturally.
The script also has a lot of cleverness to it. There is clear attention to having good setups and making sure it pays off in the second or third acts.
The overall message and theme of a controlling partner within a relationship is a nice touch. Quaid pulls off the controlling boyfriend archetype amazingly well, and it does not require him to overact.
“Companion” excels in not putting the antagonists on a pedestal and giving them more attention than their victims. Josh and his friends are treated like idiots and are never given a chance to believe they managed to get away with their evil scheme.
Iris, who is supposed to just be Josh’s supportive and loving girlfriend, eventually gets the best of Josh and the others by being smart and acting fast. Iris is one of the better final girls lately, and Thatcher is just lovely in the role.
Although it’s still early in the year 2025, “Companion” feels like it has the potential to be one of the year’s best with how much care and creativity was behind it. If you're looking to watch a good film with your significant other, by no means skip this gem.
