Together Review: Who Knew Body Horror And Codependency Could Make Such A Disgusting And Awesome Mix?

In a broad context, co-dependence is wonderful thematic material for a horror film. There is tremendous beauty to recognize in the idea, as who wouldn’t want to find another person with whom they can perfectly harmonize for a lifetime? But we also live in a world of constant change that threatens that harmony, which can instill paranoia that an ending is always right around the corner, and there is also the fear of losing one’s independence and identity as a part of a couple. Mix that trouble with multi-dimensional characters, some dashes of the dark supernatural, and a sprinkle of freaky terrors, and you have an exciting and intimate scary movie. Or to be more specific, you have writer/director Michael Shanks’ Together.

Arriving in theaters during a brilliant summer for original horror, the film doesn’t have the mesmerizing complexity of Danny and Michael Philippou’s Bring Her Back or the arresting scope of Zach Cregger’s Weapons, but it succeeds pairing a fairly simple narrative with big ideas and nasty execution that will be appreciated by sick puppy cinephiles. Married co-stars Alison Brie and Dave Franco are independently and collaboratively so excellent that you wonder about the stability of their actual relationship (it’s intense enough to make you question if simply taking this project on was an effort to test their marital bonds), and while it can’t be said that Together on the whole is full of unexpected twists, the finale is definitely a delightful shocker.

Millie (Alison Brie) and Tim (Dave Franco) are a long-term couple when we first meet them in the movie, and while the latter is reticent about getting married, they do make a commitment by moving together from the city to a new home in the countryside. Tim’s hopes to make it as a professional musician are fizzling, and his remote new zip code doesn’t exactly help, but Millie supports them with her job as a teacher at the local elementary school. Stress is high after the relocation, and helping nothing is that their relationship has become sexless.

In an effort to both try and reconnect and explore their new area, they decide to go on an afternoon hike together in the local woods… and as you can imagine given the genre, things take a bad turn. First they get lost, then it starts thunderously rain, and then they accidentally discover a new age church that has sunk into the ground – and by “discover,” I mean he falls into a hole and then pulls her in as she tries to help him get out. Temporarily trapped, thirsty and out of water, they opt to drink from a pool that has gathered in the cave, and they make camp for the night to wait out the downpour.

Needless to say, drinking the water was a big mistake. In the morning, the couple wakes to find that two of their legs are stuck together, and while they are able to tear apart and chalk it up to cave mildew, it’s just the start of their shared nightmare. I kind of biological magnetism slowly starts to build, and Millie and Tim find themselves drawn to each other with increasing magnitude, both psychologically and physically.

There is a simplicity in the story of Together that doesn’t get in the way of it being captivating.

Together unfolds with a straightforward narrative that has natural escalation and momentum, and while that doesn’t ultimately leave much room for surprise during the journey, one is nonetheless entranced in anticipation of seeing just how far the horror is going to go. The lesions left after Millie and Tim rip apart their calves in the early cave scene is just the start of the experience and effectively teases the nastiness to come, and – with the exception of one sequence that I won’t reveal in this spoiler-free venue – it delivers on that promise. You have an idea of what’s on the way, but it still successfully gets you more and more excited for the next level of the supernatural force that is constantly growing in power.

Along similar lines, the movie isn’t particularly coy when it comes to its themes about co-dependency, as it’s the principal source of conflict for the couple as they enter a new stage of their relationship, but understanding the subject matter doesn’t render the Millie and Tim as flat caricatures. They’re equally likable, flawed, and passionate – which makes their arguments and fights all the more interesting, as Together doesn’t take sides and you can understand their points of view. The film effectively keeps you going back and forth regarding whether or not these two people need to cut ties or never let one another go, and your emotional investment in them adds weight to all the horrors.

Alison Brie and Dave Franco both bring great range to a pair of complicated characters in a complicated relationship.

Obviously nothing is hurt by the film starring two talented and charismatic leads who make effective use of their demonstrated range. There is a terrific blend of sweetness, awkwardness, and anger that make up the relationship between the main characters, and Alison Brie and Dave Franco have the natural chemistry that makes it all feel very real. And not only is there plenty of heavy emotional material for the performers to explore, but there is also impressive physical work as they are both attracted to each other and fused with awesome movie magic.

Some amazing makeup and effects work in Together will have you gasping.

It’s somewhat unfair that Together has to live in the shadow of Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance, which blew minds late last year with its extremely gory, body horror madness, but for its scale and what it attempts to do, Michael Shanks’ movie will most certainly have more sensitive members of the audience averting their eyes and covering their mouths in extreme shock. Not only are brilliant special effects employed as hands gets slowly embedded into arms, but there is also chilling (and seamless) work from contortionist performers and the stomach-churning action of Millie and Tim making efforts to separate themselves. Casual movie-goers will squirm, and genre fans will cheer – with the standout sequence being a very… special bathroom stall encounter between the protagonists.

As far as my personal tastes are concerned, I’m always going to appreciate a gnarly horror movie with smart themes and complicated characters, and Together effectively checks all of those boxes. It has limitations, which can be excused by production resources, but it’s still a standout during a hot time for the genre, and it immediately establishes Michael Shanks, a filmmaker with a wicked vision, as a talent to watch.