Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Companion 

This I could see being on my list of one of my favourite films of 2025! Companion is a genius film that is both science fiction and also a psychological horror that brilliantly discusses strong themes of male manipulation, false sense of security in a relationship and the whole idea of a partner trying to control their loved one. Drew Hancock has given a film that is both a nail biting thriller but also a thought piece film about how people are viewed and treated within relationships from the viewpoint of a science fiction horror film which is brilliantly written and directed. Jack Quaid cemented himself as a force to be reckoned with as a leading status material and breakout star Sophie Thatcher who got dazzled people with her fantastic star making turn in Heretic from last year. Seeing her again in the horror genre she shows she is someone that can really dominate the screen and that the horror genre is a strong suit for her strengths as she soars in this film giving a truly fantastic performance. Companion is one of the most captivating films I have seen so far this year and will no doubt probably end up on a lot of peoples favourite films of the year lists. 

Firstly, This film is about so many deep rooted themes in how people are treated in a relationship and it’s discussed through the lens of a horror viewpoint with science fiction elements. Now the film is able to do a deep dive into emotional manipulation as I mentioned in a way that walks a fine line with the science fiction element and horror like thrills and chills. It is done in such a way that it does not hold back how psychologically scary someone playing mind games with you could be and it places the audience right in the middle of Iris’s situation and we see just her current situation just go from bad to worse and we want to see her prevail but since so much of what she has been told is a lie she has to find a way to not only stay alive but also show that she can think for herself and not let people in her head and tell her what is best for her and instead do what she knows is right to better this terrible situation she has found herself in. The film shows the psychological warfare she is in with her boyfriend and how he tries to control every move she makes the film Is not trying to say men suck but at the same time it is showing a realistic take on what happens when someone thinks they can simply control someone else and that they have little to no say in the situation and is scared of speaking up in fear that the person will leave them if they speak out of line. They use that as a foundation of anxiety for the main character and explore the many peaks and valleys of how she deals with it in this very well constructed story about manipulation and the many shapes it can take in this case its shown in how It can be used within a relationship. The film takes you places you think you know where it will end up but then throws you for a Toal loop which I love it keeps you guessing to the end. You never truly know what the outcome for these characters will be until the final frame it has you on the edge of your seat the whole way through the way the story is so well structured one of the biggest compliments I can give this film is its razor sharp writing along with its ability to delve into the tones of the film that juggles the horror, science fiction and hard hitting drama of it all in a way that is incredibly compelling to see unfold. The screenplay and the tone is a huge highlight of what makes this film so damn good the film soars in terms of narrative structure and tone.

Secondly, The performances from the cast are all so good! Now the stand outs are the two leads given from Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid both delivering truly solid leading performances that will impress the hell out of you. Now Sophie Thatcher made a splash last year with her work on the fantastic psychological horror film Heretic which she did a solid job in and it makes total sense since her great work on that film more people are taking notice of her talents. Here she plays Iris this emotionally confused character that has no idea why she feels the way she does but she thinks with her heart and is incredibly observant of others people’s attitudes and she is quiet in the first 20-30 minutes of the film and as the film progresses we see her explore more aspects of the character and by the film is over she is a fully realized character that is among one of the best from the genre due to the great character exploration and performance given at hand by Sophie. Then you have Jack Quaid who plays the what we think is loveable boyfriend who just wants him and his girl to have a fun weekend but what I love most about what Jack brings to this character is his ability to deceive not just the main character but the audience as he is such a likeable presence onscreen so for him to take on a character that may not be likeable I think was a great fit for him as we had not seen him in a role like this before and wow is he outstanding in it. The whole cast all give great well rounded performances but it is Jack and Sophie that will blow you away with their terrific central performances.

Lastly, Companion is a multi layered emotional warfare film about manipulation, the unplaced trust people put in others, it is able to discuss these heavy themes in a way that opens the floor for conversation while doing a balancing act of science fiction and horror all at once it is quite impressive and weaving the story in a way that you don’t know where the characters will go by the next scene. Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid are amazing onscreen giving truly astonishing performances overall Companion is one of the years best films and is destined to become a classic within the genre. I recommend everyone go see this film and if you can don’t watch any trailers or promotional material for it the less you know going into it the more enjoyable your viewing experience will be of it. 

This film centres around a couple staying at a friends house for a weekend and when things go south we learn quickly people aren’t who they seem to be

Rated R : Sexual Content|Language Throughout|Strong Violence

Sophie Thatcher : Sophie delivers a performance that shows her front and centre telling people she is a force to be reckoned with in leading status since her breakout performance from Heretic! Here she plays a girl thrust into a environment where she knows no one but her partner and has to rely on him for everything due to the fact each person she meets in the house where she is spending the weekend is a fresh face. In the first 20 minutes of the film their is very little dialogue spoken from Sophie’s character as she is mostly soaking up the moment and observing each conversation and you can just see her eyes scanning each single thing she comes across. It presents a version of herself that the people at this house may take as “shy” but she is merely just letting her man do the work socially and talk as she shows she is more kept to herself and not as much as conversationalist with new people. So there is this sense she is on edge when hanging out with these people as she has no idea what to make of them. As the film progresses and kicks into the second act of the film she speaks plenty when we see the people she has been spoken by is not who they say they are and she has to rely on herself in order to get out of this situation alive. She has a moment of emotional betrayal thrust onto her in a confrontation that breaks her spirit and you can see in her eyes and shaky way of delivering her lines how utterly heartbroken she is. The sense of dread and hopelessness washes over her face in pure devastation the scene in which she is confronted with the true of why she is their is emotionally shattering and the sheer vulnerability she brought to the scene and how she goes through the many stages of anger, denial, hopelessness and that is played so well within the scene but you also could take all those emotions and see that they have been placed out throughout the whole film in terms of performance for her. What I mean is the first bit of the film she is very quiet, second part we see the whole hopelessness and heart shattering truth she is told and then by the final act their is a freeing independence she presents to the role and all of those layers are greatly shown onscreen by Sophie Thatcher in a compelling way that you can’t look away from. She isn’t trying to go big and loud in terms of her character but she gradually turns the dial up on her role as the narrative progresses and we see other aspects of her character which only had the audience wrapped around her finger as she does not capture this damsel in distress final girl mentality but she shows one of sheer strength that sure at the start is trying to learn what the real intentions of her being their are but She finds her footing fast of what she needs to do to make it out of their Alive all while getting her point across of she won’t stand to be treated and manipulated any longer. Sophie Thatcher shows people she is someone that can chew the scenery in leading status roles as she just commits to each scene of the film with such powerful emotion depth and hangs on each word with such authenticity Sophie Thatcher shows that her performance in Heretic was not a one time performance she is here to stay and her work in this film cemented that fact. She goes through a mulltiadude of emotions all being done in such a extraordinary way you can’t help but root for her and hope she prevails She plays a victim of emotional manipulation and in many ways is a victim of being objectified but she refuses to let that define her and she fights in a fierce performance that has so much grit and charm to it Sophie Thatcher soars in this film and I cannot wait to see what she does next. 

Jack Quaid : Quaid plays a role unlike anything he has ever done before with his work in companion! Now Jack Quaid has been building quite the body of work for himself in the last couple of years with his work on the hit show The Boys, Star Trek Lower Decks and even appeared in a small role in the Oscar winning film Oppenheimer. He really is all over the place and trying to do the most with great quality work which in my eyes has made him one of the best working young actors today. Now seeing him tap into a role that is very much against what he usually does  was so interesting to see him do as I won’t say he is type cast in the roles he plays but he isn’t one to usually go after the shady roles he plays the soft hearted wholesome characters and in this film he is very much not that. It was great to see though as we get to see him tap into sides of his acting range we hadn’t yet see him explore and he is captivating at it! He plays this boyfriend who seems like a great guy that just wants to have a nice weekend with his girlfriend but as the weekend goes south very fast we quickly learn he has more sinister plans at work. He uses emotional manipulation and his nice guy mentality to get his girlfriend to fall into a false sense of security with him. He has this soft spoken characteristic to him that makes him seem loving and approachable but is incredibly condescending in the way he speaks to her as she thinks he loves her and he in many ways tricks the audience in a very similar way as we fall into the palm of his charming personality very easily he tells her these terrible things he has planned and destroys her world but he is able to forgive himself for it because he thinks what he is doing is justified and she will be understanding because he says he “ cares about her”. You could label his behaviour that of a borderline psychopath in the way he goes about his treatment to her and his plan in order to use her as a pawn In his plans. Jack Quaid shows this amazing leading man performance that is both charming and also has this underlining sense of creepiness to it that just makes you want to hate him for what he is doing to this poor girl as because he thinks she has no real feelings he can treat her anyway he likes which only makes you loath him even more. He builds up all of this trust in his girlfriend and then destroys her because he knows if he built a base of a trusting unit between them it would be harder for her to see him as a bad guy while he has been planing this from the very start. It shows his inability to feel for anyone else’s feelings but his own and how he just sees her more as an object and not as a person. Jack Quaid made this despicable person come to life in such a way that made you so impressed with just the sheer dedication he brought to the character and made choices in how to approach it so as the audience we would be engaged into his performance but totally dislike his character. It is also the first time we get to see Jack Quaid be on the top of the call sheet with a film he usually plays supporting roles and never in roles like this so to see him get a shot to be the anchor of a film and show he is leading man material was great to see as he fits it so well. He brings the emotions of this shady human being to the surface in a way that was emotionally brilliant and he knocked it out of the park as he plays this insecure man that uses his girl to get his way with a sinister plan that he thinks is full proof but dose not go at all according to plan. Jack Quaid soars in this role and I hope to see him in more challenging roles like this because not only did we get to see aspects to his acting range we had not seen him tapped into but Jack Quaid got to raise the bar on what he can do with the Roles he picks and I think this is for sure among one of the most complex and tremendous performances he has put to screen. 

Drew Hancock : Drew Makes his film debut with Companion which blows my mind as he seems like a filmmaker that has been doing films forever with the way he has such a fully realized vision and style in how he tells this story! Now the film feels like a homage to Hitchcock films mixed with the science fiction of Blade Runner as it operates as a thriller but has great science fiction undertones that is not cheesy but thought provoking discussions using that form of storytelling to push the narrative forward. He takes on a film about a relationship and how he accesses the horror of it is he presents what an abusive one would look like if you put it under the magnify glass of horror and science fiction. As in many ways the film is about control and manipulation and that is very much a centrepiece to the film and how far it can be taken in extreme measures. You can tell the structure of the characters came first and then the stylistic nature of the story followed as the film expands on the arc from Jack Quaid’s character and Sophie Thatcher’s and we see the polar difference those two have both morally and emotionally towards one another. It shows how he sees her more of an accessory and a object for her to control and she is more into how she thinks he genuinely cares for her but that is all smoke and mirrors as she learns later on and has then needs to take control of the situation it is quite powerful actually. Then with the great twists and turns of the narrative is he writes the story in a way that when the big reveal happens you think that is the only big shock of the film but it’s not her keeps you on edge the whole way through and weaves the story into places you never expect and it works so well. The film then incorporates aspects of science fiction that makes sense to the narrative and is done in a way that is so well thought out it elevates the story in many ways with its message on controlling people in relationships that whole aspect of the story uses the sci-fi aspect really well in order to drive that message home. It is able to be a successfully unpredictable thriller that has you guessing the whole way through but it also leaves the audience walking away with something to talk about in terms of how people are treated within relationships and I love the way John Hancock went about it as it’s terrifically written and amazingly directed. If this is his first film it is a hell of a first impression he gave and I cannot wait to see what he does next he is a filmmaker I will be keeping a eye on for sure for any future projects he does going forward. His work on companion is amazing and he wrote a real nail biter with a thought provoking message that will spark discussion.