I think I’ve found the perfect post-Valentines movie for you and your girls to watch.
Warning: The following article contains minor spoilers
When my friends dragged me to the Galaxy movie theatre on a random Wednesday night, I didn’t know what to expect. I was exhausted from a week of exams, projects, and constant grinding but agreed reluctantly because I have severe FOMO. The week was so packed that I didn’t even have a chance to look up the movie, read a plot summary, or watch a trailer—two things I religiously do before seeing anything in theatres. But as the three of us bundled up in sub-zero temperatures to watch Companion, a new science fiction psychological thriller, I can safely say none of us were prepared for the punch packed into the following hour and 37 minutes.
The movie starts off seemingly innocent, as most thrillers do. Iris, the film’s narrator, recalls meeting her boyfriend Josh for the first time as they journey to an isolated lake house for a getaway with Josh’s friends: Kat, the couple Eli and Patrick, and Sergey, Kat’s boyfriend who owns the house. It’s clear that Iris is head over heels for Josh, deeply infatuated and eager to get along with his friends. The first evening in the house ends with a fun montage, leaving viewers on the edge of their seats for more.
The following day, at the lake, Sergey tries to sexually assault Iris, and she ends up killing him in self-defense. Frightened and covered in blood, she goes back to the house to explain what happened. Josh dismissively tells her, “Iris, go to sleep.”
It’s then revealed that Iris is actually a companion robot programmed by Josh, and he had manipulated her into killing Sergey. Now, the rest of the movie is better enjoyed on screen, so I’ll leave you with this minor preview.
Companion is a humorous, gory, and fast-paced thriller that’s an absolute delight. But what made the movie for me were the underlying themes of heartbreak, toxic relationships, gender roles, and the objectification of female bodies.
Iris, though a robot, displays an array of human emotions—from wrath to love—and finds herself experiencing things on a visceral level. On the other hand, Josh, despite being human, seems to lack any emotional intelligence (unsurprising for a single man who has to purchase a girlfriend). Throughout the movie, he often plays the victim, pushing blame onto Iris and his friends, gaslighting them into believing he’s always the innocent one. It’s clear that Josh views Iris as nothing more than a commodified plaything, even reducing her intelligence to 0% in one scene, knowing she’ll obey his every command, even if it means harming herself.
Several times, my friends and I found ourselves glancing at each other as scenes between Josh and Iris hit uncomfortably close to home. Whether it was gaslighting, false promises, or love bombing. Josh covered all the toxic bases used by men these days to trap women under the false pretense of a secure relationship.
In relationships, women are expected to give up some of their autonomy and mold themselves to fit their male counterparts, even if it comes at their own expense. Blinded by love and societal expectations, sometimes we become a shadow of ourselves while chasing after male validation.
Ultimately, Companion isn’t a critique of AI as technology, but rather a commentary on the objectification, commodification, and consent issues faced by women. Told both literally and metaphorically through Josh and Iris’s toxic relationship, it explores these topics with sly humor, a brilliant cast, and a deceptively innocent Barbie-bright color palette. As one critic put it, Companion “delivers sexual politics in a popcorn box but with added stage blood.”
So what are you waiting for? Grab your friends, wear your florals, and go watch it!