Together

"Humans were originally created with four arms, four legs and a head with two faces. Fearing their power, Zeus split them into two separate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves." Plato, The Symposium

Although the current horror film Together doesn't pretend to parse Plato's discourse on love, it relies heavily on the idea that true love is the comingling of minds and bodies that were once separated by Zeus out of envy. Tim (David Franco) and Millie (Alison Brie) spend time in a country house seeking to regain the passion they once had.

After a stroll that ends up in a cave (how very Platonic!), they devolve into maddened humans, literally getting under each other's skin. The visuals, even without excessive CGI, are body horror at its best, and allegorically land us in discussion about what love means and how it affects the struggling relationship the drama began with.

Thematically Together wishes to show how much the stressed couple loves each other, even willing to sacrifice their very flesh to reconcile their affections. No couple in the audience can ignore the commentary on the emotional demands of love, the millennial fear of commitment, and the strains that modern lonely life make on romance.

After all, Millie has sacrificed a higher teaching order to take a rural job while he is still at 35 years old trying to play in an indie-rock band. His intermittent impotency, while understandable given his lack of professional success, still seems like a major impediment to taking their love to the next level.

While treating the aud to some icky body horror, writer-director Michael Shanks comments on the challenges of modern living that needs the therapy of communal sharing, of overcoming horrors together to emerge from that cave together toward the future.

There's a basic principle in filmmaking that's as old as time. If you set up your characters correctly the audience will always be invested and that's EXACTLY what you get here.

From the opening you see our main characters struggles with their relationship and how they wanted to please the other but fail multiple times. The movie hit the themes of complacency and dependency and tries to disguise it as love in moments that work FLAWLESS.

The actual scares are actually VERY EFFECTIVE and there's one at night that made me jump because of the sheer claustrophobic nature of the camera angles and shots.

Ending: Definitely the most controversial part of the film for me. I obviously won't spoil but it completely almost ruined the film for me. It just kinda really took me out. I initially thought it would end in a different way and kinda hoped it would but no. Again that ending is really BAD so again beware that but besides that I thought this was a nice horror film.

Going into this film completely blind is the play. Absolutely bonkers.

I appreciate an original horror story when it gets executed to perfection. Funny, cringey (in a good way) and downright absurd.

The story is interesting enough and follows cult/folk lore but the performances by Franco and Brie are the high point. Their chemistry is perfect and believable. The film highlights themes of co-dependency and fear of commitment in a truly insane way.

Granted, there are cliched moments that are usually present in the horror genre. And yes, such moments are in this film, but it definitely doesn't take away from the wild ride. This film reminiscences elements from "The Substance" but it warrants its own distinction.

Definitely up there with one of the best horror movies of the year.

Together follows Tim and Millie, who find themselves at a crossroads when they move to the countryside, abandoning all that is familiar in their lives except each other. With tensions already flaring, a nightmarish encounter with a mysterious, unnatural force threatens to corrupt their lives, their love, and their flesh.

The film sets everything up well. The characters, the relationship, the setting. I liked all that. The story itself was good, but the overall experience felt a bit flat and underwhelming. Things should have happen faster. When the horror, tension, or weirdness finally shows up, it's good. But it doesn't stay there. It never really sits in the moment. More time should have been spent in those moments once they happened, not necessarily more things to happen. It felt like the film was holding back when it should've leaned in. More should've happened emotionally and visually. It felt like it could've gone deeper or darker, and I was ready for it. That's one of my big issues with the film. The body horror and supernatural elements are there, but they could've gone harder with it.

The trailer gave away a lot, so if you've seen it, you've probably already caught most of the big horror moments. That takes away some of the surprise, which is a shame, because the film does have its own story to tell. It's straightforward and easy to follow.

What worked really well was the emotional side of it. The relationship felt real. You could see yourself in these two people, and what they're going through feels honest. Dave Franco and Alison Brie are great together. You can tell they're a real couple. There's a natural chemistry between them that makes everything feel more believable, especially as things start to fall apart. There are also a few funny little moments between them that break up the tension in a nice way, without messing with the overall vibe.

Overall, Together is a solid but not groundbreaking horror/drama. It explores some interesting ideas. I just wish it had pushed things further emotionally and visually. It had all the right pieces. It just didn't go far enough with them.

When real-life couples star together, the resulting film can take on a fascinating meta-layer. Although their offscreen bond doesn't necessarily blur into their characters, it inevitably hovers in the background. Mike Nichols' 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' wasn't simply a searing portrait of marital warfare; it was also Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, cinema's most famous spouses, sparring with a ferocity that audiences couldn't help but connect to their tempestuous private lives.

Likewise, Stanley Kubrick's 'Eyes Wide Shut' wasn't just a puzzle about desire and fidelity. Echoed against the backdrop of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman's highly publicized marriage, the couple's casting lent an extra layer of voyeuristic intrigue to the film. That extra-textual dimension doesn't alter the story, but it makes the fiction feel charged in ways it otherwise wouldn't.

This is also the case with Michael Shanks' 'Together,' starring the real-life couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie. A body-horror à la Coralie Fargeat's 'The Substance,' the film follows long-time partners Tim and Millie, who have been drifting apart. After relocating to the countryside, they encounter a mysterious force that starts to reshape their lives, forcing them closer than ever. Soon, their romance becomes a macabre affair, as the boundaries between co-dependence and monstrosity irrevocably blur.

Atmospheric, visceral and laced with dark humour, Shanks' film grips from start to finish. Essentially a Cronenbergian romantic comedy, it's bloody good fun, with some thematic weight. Shanks' narrative cleverly uses the language of body-horror to externalize the often-unspoken dynamics undermining relationships. More than an external threat, the disgusting entity that binds Tim and Millie embodies their neediness for, and resentment towards, one another.

Horror has always excelled at making the abstract tangible- whether it be desire as parasite, or intimacy as contagion- and Shanks leans into that tradition with gory relish. In 'Together', the spectacle of skin and sinew isn't there for shock alone, but as a metaphor for how love can devour, how co-dependence can trap partners in a suffocating cycle of intimacy. As proceedings intensify, the couple's bond is forced into a crucible, revealing both the strength and fragility of their connection.

Shanks' strong characterisation emphasises this point, especially when it comes to Tim. He is far from a traditional macho protagonist, being a vulnerable, tentative man marked by trauma. He can't work a compass or start a fire, and relies heavily on Millie in everyday situations. His hesitancy and fragility ground the film, making the couple's descent into grotesquerie more affecting than it otherwise might be.

Millie, too, is drawn with nuance; a smart young teacher who loves Tim and wants the best for him, but whose patience sometimes frays under the weight of his insecurities. Together, they feel less like genre archetypes and more a realistic couple. Their exchanges throughout are natural, laced with a dry wit that feels true to life. At its core, the film is a love story, which works because one believes in Tim and Millie's bond- the tenderness beneath the terror.

Visually, the film is as striking as it is unsettling. Germain McMicking's cinematography cloaks the rural setting in a pall of damp greys and muted greens, evoking both isolation and decay. Further, Nicholas Dare's production design makes the world feel intimate yet suffocating, deeply alive- disquietingly breathing.

In addition, the effects work is impressively tactile, leaning on practical gore and prosthetics rather than CGI, giving things a raw, clammy immediacy. Shanks doesn't flinch from grotesque detail, yet the imagery never tips into gratuity. Just as crucial are the sound design and score: the former wringing dread from creaks, squelches and silences, the latter pulsing uneasily beneath the action without overwhelming it. Further, Sean Lahiff's editing is sharp and economical, ensuring every shock lands with precision.

As Tim and Millie, Dave Franco and Alison Brie's real-life marriage lends their on-screen intimacy a raw authenticity, making Shanks' vision of closeness-turning-hideous even more disturbing. Both deliver powerhouse performances- Franco in particular, showing a vulnerability and range rarely glimpsed in his comedic work. Brie, meanwhile, plays Millie with a sharp mix of exasperation and tenderness, anchoring the film's emotional core. Damon Herriman also does fine work in a supporting role as Millie's work colleague Jamie, whose personable demeanour belies a hidden darkness.

In conclusion, Michael Shanks' 'Together' is bloody great: a grisly reflection of intimacy, co-dependence and the messy realities of love. Dave Franco and Alison Brie work wonderfully together, grounding Shanks' Cronenbergian vision in something startlingly human. With tactile effects, evocative cinematography and a keen ear for dread, the film shows how passion can curdle into possession, with devastating consequences. In short, in the realm of body-horror, 'Together' stands apart.