‘Together’ Review

The horror subgenre known as body horror has been on the rise as of late. With films like The Substance, The Ugly Stepsister, and now Together making waves. It has always been my favorite subgenre of horror because it is universal; we all have a body and we all fear losing control. For me, Together became an instant classic. The film follows Tim and Millie, a couple who embark on a move to the countryside that could either make or break their already troubled relationship. After a seemingly supernatural encounter in a cave, the couple’s relationship might be forced to go to the next level when their flesh begins to be uncontrollably drawn to the other. This directorial debut by Michael Shanks is sure to make you rethink modern relationships and make you squirm. Read our full review of Together below. 

This review contains spoilers. 

What’s really great about body horror is that it is such a great vehicle for visual storytelling. Together uses this method to display the characters’ co-dependency and how they fear losing their personhood. In long-term relationships, you can slowly start to feel like you’re  losing your own sense of self. Your friends are your partner’s friends, your routines start to become one, and everything that you used to have for yourself is now shared with someone else. It can be a beautiful thing, but also something terrifying. My favorite sequence in the entire film is when Franco’s Tim is taking a shower as Brie’s Millie is driving away. He is under a trance of sorts, moving in sync with every move she makes. It is like they are tied with a string. He moves by her whim, completely co-dependent. Not only does this scene perfectly encapsulate the themes, but it also leaves you on the edge of your seat, wondering if their relationship can last in these circumstances. 

I do not think this movie is anti-relationship though. I have seen countless people make the same joke about how this movie does for relationships what Jaws does for sharks, but I think it is the complete opposite. Yes, it is gross, but it is also extremely romantic in a twisted sense. At the end of the movie, they are given two options to end this: one dies or they become one. They of course choose to come together because they can not live without each other. This could be seen as one partner tying down the other, but Dave Franco’s character’s words before the climax change everything. He takes the blame and admits that he has not been the best partner, because he was afraid to commit to someone. This final showdown of two becoming one is just a visual representation of him being ready to commit to being with her forever. In the end, it’s not scary; they are just a mesh of both the people they used to be. I find it to be the perfect way to cap off the movie, not an ideal situation, but at least they are together. 

So let’s talk some more about the shining star of the movie: the body horror. There are multiple scenes that would be the standout in their own right, if there weren’t an even crazier scene next. Together kept building and building on grosser horror, until the end. The only flaw of this move, in my eyes, is that the horror in the middle was so gnarly and unique that I, as a viewer, rightfully expected that it would culminate in something more insane than what I saw before. The entire runtime you are anxiously waiting to find out if they will fuse together and what that would look like, and in all honestly, that was the weakest point of the film. I think back to the bathroom stall, late-night hallway, and bikers in the cave and can’t help but admit that the film peaked a tad early. In future rewatches, this would not be a problem, but on an initial viewing, it left me with sprinkles of disappointment. 

Even though the ending didn’t land completely, that does not change how wild of a ride this film is. I can see it become a Halloween rewatch staple or maybe even a good Valentines Day watch. Everything about the film just works so well, all thanks to the couple at the center. Allison Brie and Dave Franco are giving career-best performances. They are completely committed to every aspect of the film and their real-life chemistry transfers nicely to every scene. Along with them, the director Michael Shanks gives the most exciting horror debut of the year so far. All of these elements come together just as well as Tim and Millie do. 

Together is the directorial debut of Michael Shanks. With a cast consisting of Allison Brie, Dave Franco, and Damon Herriman. Together was released on July 30th.

Thanks for reading this Together review. For more articles like this, stay tuned here at Feature First.