Perfect Companion

Companion# (B+) is not a horror film, but a robot-out-of-control thriller similar to "M3GAN". But the scariest part is not the killing or gore in the film, but the fact that when you watch it, you will learn from the experience of this female robot what some men want in a "partner", and how to control and treat their partners roughly. In other words, although the one who is tortured in the film is a robot, in reality, many real women are also treated like this: being manipulated, subjected to domestic violence, and without freedom and respect. They are living people, not bought robots. This is the most creepy thing.

From the beginning, when the male protagonist Josh walks in front with nothing in his hands, and his girlfriend Iris follows behind with two large suitcases, you know that this is not a normal relationship. In real life, most of the time it is the men who help their girlfriends carry their luggage, but here it is the other way around. The smaller girl seems to be the boyfriend's follower. When you know that this girlfriend is a robot, you don't find it strange anymore. But then again, in real life, does every man really carry luggage for his girlfriend (or wife)?

Similar scenes keep happening later. Is Josh's control and insults to Iris really just because she is a robot playmate? In fact, everything Iris encounters, whether it is control, brainwashing, manipulation or insults, is endured by real people in real life. In particular, when you find that Josh will adjust Iris's IQ to a very low level (40%) and lower her temper in order to control Iris, so she becomes a very obedient and indecisive girlfriend. In reality, many girls are born to be this kind of obedient and indecisive girlfriend, they are not robots. If there is no way to buy a robot, such women can easily become victims of a toxic relationship. The female robot Iris in the film can also take the opportunity to grab the phone to raise her IQ and immediately transform into a smart and strong woman, but some girls in reality cannot change their IQ and may always be manipulated.

But on the other hand, you may wonder, if there is such a robot as a substitute, will it help some girls escape from the clutches of these demons?

There are many movies about robots and AI, so the ending should be predictable. Obviously, the audience will stand on the side of the robot, hoping that she can escape from the clutches of the evil and the bad guys will be punished. The whole movie is still full of surprises and twists. AI and technology are not the focus of this film. The focus is on mapping the reality that is prevalent in human society, showing the desires, greed and control of some people, and how women may fall into "inhuman" gender relationships.

The film is quite profound and has some relatively novel ideas, and is not a repetition of the same type.

In addition, the reason why the heroine is called Iris is that the name is reversed to Siri

New European and American treasure actresses are freshly released.

I've been keeping an eye on Sophie Thatcher since last year's "The Heretic," when at first glance she looked like a little "Anya Taylor-Joy," with a similar temperament but a more regular face.

There are more close-ups of Sophie in "The Perfect Match". If you look closely, she looks more like Anya and Dakota Johnson. It is indeed a captivating look.

I missed watching "The Cabinet Trickster" two years ago when it was still a bit chubby, so I should at least watch it.

Well, without further ado, there are many beautiful pictures of Sophie in this film, so I'll just share them here.

At the end of the movie (1:37:04), the hero asked the heroine why she came back, and the heroine replied: I came back to tell you face to face that you can no longer control me. Hearing this, you know that the heroine can't escape the control of the hero. Similarly, when you hear someone say: He broke up with me so unclearly, I must ask him for an explanation; he cheated on me and hurt me like this, I must ask him to apologize to me; my parents abandoned me when I was a child, beat me and scolded me, I must make you feel ashamed; those who bullied me, I must take revenge on you... No matter the explanation, apology, revenge, or like the heroine, I must tell you face to face..., as long as your future life path and happiness are based on the words, apologies, and revenge of others, then you are still controlled by others, and the remote control of happiness and the remote control of restarting life are always in the hands of others. What I really mean by no longer being under your control is that from now on, everything about me has nothing to do with you. Explanations, apologies, revenge, I don't want any of them, I'll leave them all to you, to the past. I can restart my life without any of these, and I can be happy on my own without you saying anything.

Love is long-suffering. Sorry God, I don't agree this time. After watching the movie, I sat in the car and listened to Young Hunting's "Sweet Bird" and drank iced latte. I laughed out loud when I heard "The blood is on your hands". Where did such a suitable song come from? Back to the opening, I walked into the theater and found that I had booked a sci-fi thriller cult movie. I thought it was over. But from the opening 20 minutes, the sad feeling spread to Deep Sorrow, until she killed the whole audience, she saw herself in another car and smiled for the first time in a long time, and I was relieved. Iris said that the two happiest moments in her life were the first time she met Josh and the second time she killed him. I am not willing to define it as a sci-fi movie. In fact, it is more like a movie discussing human nature in a sci-fi black absurd coat. There are shadows of Ex Machina and Westworld, as well as shadows of Kill Bill, and more of it is the self-awakening of the love brain. It is just said in a non-serious way. The reason is simple, love can only benefit lifelong if it is based on truth. The director uses black humor to imagine how the weaker party (regardless of gender) in a relationship can kill the enemy. The love of robots for humans is their weakness of being controlled. Humans are cold-blooded machines driven by interests, cruel, greedy, and twisted. Everything can be played out, a bit like "Corpse Bride". Every time the chubby boyfriend Patrick and Iris recall the first time they met their lover, my heart is pulled. For them, these are all real, and the feeling is extremely real. And humans tell them that it is just a program implant. \[Killing people and destroying their hearts\] Humans have no rivals in this matter. Patrick and Iris can better interpret love is blind than other protagonists. Just like Patrick, he knows everything. They say that love is painful, and they can feel the burning pain. The real "tears" in the movie all come from robots. So fking sad. At the end, when Josh wanted to end Iris, Josh even PUA her and said that people died because of her! ! (I have already started to curse) Fortunately, Iris did not fall in love at the end. She said that you set it up from the beginning for me to kill people, and you are the one with blood on your hands. Josh's method of killing is really satisfying to cult movie audiences, and the call back is quite novel. Iris finally drove and looked at the woman in the car next to her. She was wearing heavy makeup and using the set program to please the "person she loves". She was a sweet bird imprisoned in psychedelic hormones (program). This was the third happiest moment in her life. Like a hero returning from a massacre, she was wearing burnt armor and stepping on piled ashes. This kind of true and free peak feeling, even nirvana cannot be called a price. I was amazed by the soundtrack of the movie. The subject matter is very old, but fortunately the narrative rhythm and storyline are solid. Xiaopang and her boyfriend contributed a lot of black humor. IMDb review 7.4/10, ING review 8/10. In general, except during the Chinese New Year and before marriage, it is suitable to watch at any time. Finally, I wish we all live long and prosper.

In last year's A24 film "The Heretic", Sophie Thatcher, who played opposite Hugh Grant, was a real eye-catcher. Whether it was the cold temperament set off by the black outfit or her grasp of the details of her expression in her despair and anger. So even though "The Perfect Partner" is not a horror film, I am still looking forward to her horror masterpiece at the beginning of the year. The result is satisfying. This fast-reversed female escape is another interesting derivative of the theme of "Savages".

The first encounter in the supermarket was so sweet that it was unbelievable. That was the day when Iris met her destined son Josh. This was also one of the two rare experiences in her life - falling in love with Josh. Iris loved Josh deeply, knew him well and was willing to give everything for him. Even though Josh's friend Kate didn't like her, this suburban villa party made her feel anxious and scared. But for the sake of her lover, Iris had to go to the party. But she was lucky to get the second rare experience in her life - killing Josh.

The warm opening is matched with the contrasting narration of killing Josh. Director and screenwriter Drew Hancock did not create much suspense for the story. He chose to reveal the direction of the film, making the audience look forward to and watch the revelation of the hypocrisy of the characters. The cracks also soon appeared in the details of their lives. When they arrived at the destination, Josh swaggered with a small bag on his back, while Iris carried two suitcases like his maid.

The sense of déjà vu between the maid and the master makes the unequal relationship between the two vividly appear on paper. What is even more heartbreaking is that when Iris expressed her irrepressible anxiety, Josh did not comfort or ask, but made it clear that your discomfort is irrelevant in the face of this journey. Iris confessed her love on the dining table and in bed, but Josh just smiled perfunctorily and said more decisively, "Go to sleep."

The slave-like relationship, one-sided emotional sustenance, and typical PUA that belittles personal feelings, the deeper Iris loves, the more terrifying it is. After laying out these series of small details, Sergey attempted to sexually assault Iris by the lake but was killed by Iris. At this time, Drew Hancock used the exposure of Iris's true identity to show his concrete understanding of toxic relationships - a manipulated low-IQ robot.

I have great memories of you, I know you inside out, I'm willing to sacrifice everything for you. But when everything starts with my sacrifice, is this relationship really worth it? Robots' memories can be fake, but can real people's memories be true and reliable under lies and PUA? It's clear that although Iris is a robot, her experience is something that anyone can encounter.The most interesting thing is that Josh specifically adjusted Iris's IQ to 40%, making her easier to manipulate. This is a manifestation of the toxic party's perverted desire for control, and it is also the most pointed point that love makes people blind and stupid. Eliminating false memories and love brains, and getting rid of the emotional control of others is the first step for Iris to find herself.

In order to truly find herself, Iris will inevitably face the invasion of the "barbarians". In fact, once Drew Hancock completed the script of "The Perfect Partner", the first choice for the film's director was Zach Craig, who directed "Savages" in 2022. It was only later that Zach Craig asked Drew Hancock if he was willing to try directing himself, and he retreated to the role of producer and director mentor to help complete the film.

Therefore, in the middle and later parts of the film, the audience can see a lot of "Savage" elements. For example, when Kate tried to leave, she said that she was not Josh's robot, but Josh still used Patrick to kill her. And Iris finally woke up. She was not controlled by the program and had freedom, but she was still no match for Josh in terms of strength - the sense of crisis when men and women are in the same room.

In this regard, I think that one of the more interesting aspects of The Perfect Partner is that the crisis in the latter exists between strangers, and the unknown interpersonal relationship makes it more obvious. However, between lovers, Iris's emphasis on knowing everything has become empty talk. Just like the concept of strangers proposed by Richard Matheson in his short story Button, Button, strangeness is not just about not having met, it is also the horrible dilemma of sharing a bed but knowing the face of the person but not the heart.

Some people also pointed out that this part is a bit buggy. Why did Patrick become a Terminator after his aggressiveness was maximized, and even his police uniform was a tribute to "Terminator 2", while Iris was still so weak and powerless after she was freed. To me personally, this is a rather ironic deliberate design. Because even if Iris is a robot, she is a woman, so she was designed to be so weak.

At the end of the movie, Iris reveals Josh's despicable truth at the dinner table, that he is weak, incompetent, self-pitying, and a loser full of control. Sergei, who wanted to violate Iris's body, was slashed in the throat by her, and Josh, who played with her thoughts and emotions, was eventually shot in the head. Iris resisted and defeated the desire and control of the man who pressed on her.

At the end, Iris retells the opening narration, and in the bathroom she tears off her burnt skin to reveal her real mechanical hand. She puts on the clothes she chose and runs towards freedom, and shows her mechanical hand to others without any cover.

At this moment, Iris gained true freedom and growth - the light flashed, the clouds dispersed, and you saw the true face of the world. The rare experience of falling in love with and killing Josh at the beginning and end of the movie made her realize the love manipulated by others' hypocrisy and the sadness of giving blindly to others who were not treated as human beings. After being hurt, she still loves, but she must first love her imperfect but real self.

Throughout the history of movies, there are countless robot-themed movies with similar elements to this film, such as "Ex Machina", "The Stepford Wives" and even "Metropolis". Although the elements are no longer fresh, Drew Hancock has taken a different approach in the new era. Except for the robot hand at the end, "The Perfect Partner" almost abandons any visual expression of robots, but uses the program settings on the mobile phone to show their high technology, such as changes in pupil color, language and voice. The humor brought by these small plots is also very good, such as the default voice is set to German because you can't lie.

Drew Hancock himself did not regard this movie as a work with strong sci-fi attributes. He compared it more to movies about relationships like "Marriage Story", which is more entertaining. To be honest, I watched a pure retro love blockbuster like "The Canyons" and then watched a movie like "The Perfect Partner" that examines toxic relationships. It feels really strange. Even the ending of "The Perfect Partner" should be more satisfying, including the 100% high IQ did not bring more interesting anti-hunting, which is a pity.

In addition, it is obvious that Drew Hancock was not blindly anti-love when writing this story. At least Eli and Patrick's emotions have a sincere part - it feels painful, like my body is burning, angry, violent, and bright. Patrick's confession is a romantic description of the love in his heart. Love is not simply attachment without other emotions.

Finally, I have to praise Sophie Thatcher. Her expression details are so iconic. The look in this movie is also very suitable for her, but the one at the end is still the coolest. Having starred in "The Cabinet", "The Heretic", "The Perfect Partner" and three seasons of "Wasp", Sophie Thatcher is expected to become the next scream queen in Hollywood. Let's watch more horror movies.

Jack Quaid is fine, but his role is somewhat repetitive with his previous role in another horror movie. It is worth mentioning that when Iris and Josh were doing user authentication, the song played was "Iris" by The Goo Goo Dolls, which is Iris's English name. At the same time, this song was created for the 1998 movie "City of Angels". The heroine of this movie, Meg Ryan, is Jack Quaid's mother, which is a double plot arranged by the director.

Currently, the film's director Drew Hancock is busy with the reboot of the 1998 horror film "Teacher is not a Human", which was originally directed by Robert Rodriguez. This time Drew Hancock's first directorial work is pretty good. I hope that the next "Teacher is not a Human" can bring more novelties.