The Company You Keep (2013) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The film takes place primarily in Albany, New York, where Jim Grant has rebuilt his life as a defense attorney. Key scenes also occur in New York City, where Jim and his daughter flee from the FBI, and in Michigan, where the original 1980 bank robbery occurred. The story also references Canada as a potential escape route and includes scenes in Big Sur, California, connected to characters' hidden pasts.

• albany
• new york
• setting
• locations
• michigan
• big sur

The story unfolds in 2011 but is rooted in 1980, the year of the original bank robbery by radical activists. This thirty-year span allows the film to explore how society has changed since the Weather Underground era of radical politics, contrasting the past activism with Jim's attempts to live a quiet life in the present.

• 2011
• 1980
• time period
• historical context
• weather underground

The Weather Underground was a radical left-wing organization in the 1970s and 1980s known for bombings and bank robberies to protest U.S. government policies. In the film, several characters, including Jim Grant and Sharon Solarz, were former members who went into hiding after a bank robbery turned fatal. The movie explores the lingering consequences of their radical past and the question of whether their cause justified their actions.

• weather underground
• radical
• 1980s
• activism
• bank robbery

The film explores three interconnected themes: truth and deception, as characters navigate between their past misdeeds and present realities; family bonds, particularly through Jim's desperate efforts to protect his daughter Isabel; and the quest for justice and redemption, as characters confront whether they can ever truly make amends for past actions.

• themes
• truth
• deception
• family
• justice
• redemption

Jim Grant is the film's protagonist, a former militant who participated in a 1980 bank robbery that resulted in a guard's death. Now living under the alias Jim Grant in Albany, he works as a defense attorney and has raised his daughter Isabel as a single father. He is driven by a desire to protect his daughter while grappling with his past and seeking a chance at redemption.

• jim grant
• protagonist
• former militant
• father
• fugitive

Ben Shepard is an ambitious investigative journalist played by Shia LaBeouf who becomes obsessed with uncovering Jim Grant's true identity and past. His pursuit of the story represents the tension between journalistic ethics and personal ambition, as he questions whether his target is truly guilty or a victim of an unjust system.

• ben shepard
• journalist
• shia labeouf
• investigation
• pursuit of truth

Sharon Solarz is a former member of the Weather Underground played by Julie Christie who was arrested at the beginning of the film. Her character represents unwavering commitment to radical beliefs, having spent decades in hiding. She serves as a mirror to Jim, showing what happens when someone refuses to abandon their convictions despite the consequences.

• sharon solarz
• julie christie
• weather underground
• former radical

Jim and Isabel's relationship centers on paternal devotion and protection. Jim has hidden his past from Isabel throughout her life, and when his identity is exposed, he goes to extreme lengths to ensure her safety. The dynamic explores how a parent's past choices ripple through family generations and the sacrifices parents make to shield their children from painful truths.

• isabel
• daughter
• father
• family bonds
• protection
• sacrifice

The film presents truth and deception as intertwined forces that shape characters' identities. Jim's entire existence is built on a lie, yet he believes his deception protects rather than harms. The movie questions whether hiding the truth can ever be justified and shows how the quest for truth, through Ben's investigation, forces characters to confront painful realities rather than live in comfortable ignorance.

• truth
• deception
• identity
• secrets
• lies
• lies vs protection

The film examines whether redemption is achievable for those who have committed serious wrongs. Jim's journey through the legal system represents his attempt to clear his name and find peace, but the movie suggests true redemption requires acknowledging past actions rather than simply escaping them. The ending offers a bittersweet resolution, exoneration comes at the cost of revealing painful truths to those he loves.

• justice
• redemption
• forgiveness
• legal system
• past crimes

The 2011 setting places the story in a post-9/11 America where surveillance and security have intensified significantly since the 1980s. This creates a stark contrast between the relatively less tracked world of the radicals' youth and the modern era where Jim's ability to hide becomes increasingly impossible. The passage of time also means the former radicals are older and must reckon with their youth from the perspective of middle age.

• 2011
• modern era
• surveillance
• post-9/11
• historical contrast