Ever fear losing your identity within a relationship? Or feel as if you’re more entangled than actually cohabitating? This anxiety regarding closeness evolves into a visceral nightmare in Together, the newest film from the real-life married duo Alison Brie and Dave Franco.
Previously, the couple teamed up on The Rental, a thriller co-written and helmed by Franco, showcasing two couples (including Brie) on a weekend escape that goes sideways. While Together features both husband and wife in front of the lens for a fresh horror penned and directed by Michael Shanks in his feature debut, both films exhibit a gradual build-up of fright.
In The Rental, the dread arose from the unwavering certainty that an unseen watcher was observing the unsuspecting couples in their vacation rental. In Together, the horror kicks off swiftly with a chilling opening sequence featuring two ill-fated dogs, foreshadowing the fate awaiting the central couple before they even appear on screen.
The ensuing body horror and its psychological depths excited critics at Together‘s Sundance debut, rewarding the thriller with a 100-percent Rotten Tomatoes rating prior to its theatrical release. But can Together live up to the festival’s buzz?
Together is an unnerving narrative of a relationship on the brink.
Shanks presents Tim (Franco) and Millie (Brie) during a transition. The long-term couple remains unmarried but is relocating from New York City to upstate, where Millie has secured a new teaching position. At their farewell party, struggling musician Tim feels more like a parasite than a true partner.
Upstate, with its verdant forests and inquisitive locals, could signify a new beginning. Yet while Millie has a job and fresh companions, Tim feels directionless and constrained. Then a pivotal hike alters his anatomy, inexplicably linking with Millie’s at every chance. Their shins adhere as if glued after sharing a bed. A kiss resembles a bite as their lips merge. An effort to reconnect through intimacy turns viciously clingy and brutal. Eventually, power tools are required to separate them.
While Millie and Tim ponder whether to evolve into better partners or separate, their skin desperately yearns to unite. Discovering the reason behind this phenomenon becomes a journey, but clarity isn’t the main focus.
Morbid voyeurism features prominently in Together.
Body horror thrives on our aversion coupled with the urge not to look away. Shanks excels in this area. As hinted in the unsettling promotional campaign, Tim and Millie’s skin collides and fuses in disturbingly grotesque manners. It’s a gruesome thrill to witness. However, given the actors’ real-life relationship, there’s an additional layer of fascination as well.
Franco and Brie are actually married, so their on-screen embraces, clashes, and kisses sizzle with the potential for blurred distinctions. What is pure performance, and what emerges from their genuine relationship? The answer is our concern. Yet both Franco and Brie are perceptive enough to recognize that this curiosity enhances the film’s appeal.
On screen, they possess undeniable chemistry. But as Tim and Millie engage in conflict, the intensity is more unsettling because they are portrayed by a real-life couple. It crudely elevates the stakes, implying that the film possesses an intimacy that teeters on inappropriate intrusion, whether or not that is merely an illusion. This is a