By Aydan Cantu
Two months after starring in the A24-Hugh Grant-led thriller, Heretic, actress Sophie Thatcher leads her film, Companion, which opened in theaters on January 31. The film follows Iris (Thatcher) and her boyfriend, Josh (Jack Quaid) on a weekend getaway at a remote cabin, when things go wrong. The best thing about this film is to go in as blind as possible. Since I watched the trailer, I knew the main twist, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the film. It’s a clever film that makes you wonder what will happen next. Aside from the main twist, some moments still managed to shock me. I have to praise writer-director Drew Hancock, who crafts a screenplay that will have audiences talking about certain aspects of it after the film ends.
Not only does Hancock craft a good plot, but his character development is excellent. The cast of characters is small, yet Hancock gives them a perfect amount of development. Along with the screenplay, the cast is also fantastic. Thatcher, a Chicago native, kills it here. I thought she was incredible in Heretic, and she’s nothing short of that here. I read an article about her approach to her role, and it never occurred to me how hard of a part she had to play. You know an actor is good when they make a role look easy. Mark my words, Thatcher is going places and I look forward to her future work. Starring alongside Thatcher is Jack Quaid from Amazon Prime’s The Boys. Quaid’s great, except there were moments where his performance didn’t quite hit the payoff. Nevertheless, his performance and character provide one of the most interesting elements of the movie.
The supporting cast is lovely: Harvey Guillén, Megan Suri, Lukas Gage, and Rupert Friend. Guillén is wonderful as the comedic relief and Friend is unrecognizable. I knew it was him when his name appeared in the end credits. The soundtrack is fantastic, and one of my favorite aspects of the movie. I cannot recommend Companion enough. It is a perfect film to see this Valentine’s season, especially with a companion (no pun intended) or a group of friends; above all, it provides a fun time at the movies. I strongly enjoyed Companion leaving me with a final rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.