Film
‘Together’ Review: Dave Franco and Alison Brie Are a Couple Falling Apart (and Fusing) in a Looney-Tunes Bash About the Body Horror of Love
Rising Trend
Body horror is experiencing a remarkable surge in interest right now, even though it never truly disappeared from view. It has maintained a steady, gross-out presence for a long time. Ever since people started associating the term with the works of David Cronenberg, audiences have been simultaneously fascinated and repelled by this subgenre. Moreover, Cronenberg’s films introduced an unsettling blend of oozing, fleshy visuals that also manage to remain strangely intellectual. His approach seamlessly combines shocking imagery with thought-provoking ideas, ensuring that whenever characters undergo disturbing bodily transformations, there is always a deeper concept lurking beneath the surface.

From the beginning, the phrase “body horror” gained traction specifically around David Cronenberg’s innovative work, which gave the subgenre its signature gooey style and frightening elasticity. In other words, Cronenberg can be credited with inventing body horror as we know it today. Furthermore, he has always been a filmmaker driven by ideas, and his most gruesome visions of physical mutation consistently serve as potent metaphors. Indeed, the more nauseating his depictions of morphing flesh become, the more they reinforce a profound symbolic message. Consequently, fans have long turned to his movies for both revolting sights and stimulating ideas, finding an intriguing balance that challenges them to think while they recoil in horror.
Enduring Influence
Over the years, Cronenberg’s legacy has set an enduring standard for the entire subgenre. For instance, his influence is evident in the work of directors like Luca Guadagnino, whose remake of “Suspiria” explored visceral bodily changes in a way that balanced art-house aesthetics with shocking physical consequences. Additionally, Julia Ducournau took up the same torch in “Titane,” which presented its own brand of repulsive transformations and psychological intensity. Through their films, these contemporary artists have continued Cronenberg’s tradition of fusing revolting body modifications with ambitious philosophical questions. Moreover, each new example proves that body horror still resonates strongly, especially when it tackles themes that go beyond superficial gore.
It is clear that body horror has evolved while staying true to its roots in unsettling imagery and underlying commentary. In this regard, directors across the globe have recognized that outrageous scenes of bodily corruption can operate on several levels at once, generating not just fear but also contemplation. Indeed, such creators utilize gory visuals to prompt viewers to consider what it means to inhabit bodies that are vulnerable to change, decay, and intrusion. As a result, the tradition that began with Cronenberg’s oozing aesthetic persists, and these modern filmmakers embrace its possibilities in new, startling ways, guaranteeing the subgenre’s ongoing relevance.
Final Apotheosis
Recently, this emphasis on flesh-based disturbance reached a high point with the film “The Substance.” In that story, the horrifying climax features a startling moment in which the heroine literally bursts apart into a grotesque mass of festering flesh. Undeniably, this final eruption stands as an unforgettable metaphor for the inherent danger of tampering with the physical form granted by nature—or, as some might say, by God. The sight of that monstrous transformation serves as a vivid cautionary tale, illustrating the ultimate consequence that befalls anyone who pushes the boundaries of human biology too far. Therefore, it encapsulates the core essence of body horror, merging gruesome visuals with a deeper philosophical commentary about the risks of meddling with the delicate human body.
“Together” is a movie that made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival under the Midnight banner, which essentially gives it license to defy most conventions associated with other Sundance selections. In other words, it is an offering that revels in being completely different from the usual lineup, allowing it to embrace an edgy style and unapologetically push boundaries. Furthermore, it stands out as one of those rare horror films that appear at festivals yet possess the distinct potential to show up in multiplex theaters, much like “The Substance” did not too long ago. Although “Together” is not on the same level of excellence, it nevertheless presents itself as a wild, off-the-rails, roller-coaster acid trip. Indeed, it invites the audience into a surreal, if-it-looks-weird-just-do-it experience that relentlessly aims to freak viewers out.
Twisted Appeal
Although the film comes across as a total kaleidoscope of bizarre visuals, it manages to be entertaining in a rather boisterous, even bumptious way. Moreover, it stars two exceptionally talented actors, Dave Franco and Alison Brie, who also happen to be a real life couple. These performers play a couple on screen that faces a litany of personal conflicts, paralleling the many relationship hurdles encountered in everyday life. Yet, despite the film’s disorienting energy, there is a genuine intelligence underpinning the mayhem, turning it into a thoroughly unhinged but decidedly not mindless thriller. In fact, the filmmakers root everything in one towering concept that drives all the insanity forward, proving that there is far more going on than mere shock value.
By the time the credits roll, one might reflect on the entire experience and think that this is exactly the kind of movie David Cronenberg could have created if he had been less of an earnest Canadian intellectual and, instead, more of a flashy junk-food thrill seeker. Consequently, “Together” comes across as a vivid illustration of how to blend cinematic chaos with a bit of thematic heft, even if it does not maintain the polished sophistication seen in Cronenberg’s body of work. Ultimately, it celebrates its own chaotic style and invites audiences to enjoy a rowdy spectacle while still pondering the Big Idea lurking beneath the freak-out exterior.
Lingering Tensions
Tim, portrayed by actor Dave Franco, and Millie, portrayed by Alison Brie, have been a couple for ten years straight. Despite the fact that they still care deeply for one another, the stress on their relationship has got to the stage that they are now asking themselves, “What are we doing here?” They find themselves sharing a space that is neither fully comfortable nor entirely uncomfortable, settling into a prickly routine that never quite solves anything. She works as a grade-school teacher and deals with the everyday challenges of her students, while he tries to keep his indie-rock career afloat on sheer hipster energy. Despite their continued affection, they both recognize that something needs to shift dramatically in order to keep their bond from unraveling, so they decide to make a significant life change.

With her new teaching offer in hand, Millie and Tim pack up their belongings, leave the city behind, and head off to a rustic town in the countryside. She plans on fully dedicating herself to her classroom there, hoping a change of scenery will revitalize her passion and maybe breathe new life into her personal situation. Meanwhile, he intends to channel his creativity into his music. In fact, part of his plan includes joining his friends on tour with their band for a while, which could help him find fresh inspiration and revive the spark he feels he is losing. Everything about this transition hints at both apprehension and hope. On the one hand, they see an opportunity for a clean slate; on the other, they also realize that moving won’t fix every unresolved conflict they have been carrying for 10 years.
The Awkward Proposal
Before saying goodbye to the urban grind, they invite friends over for a going-away celebration. During this gathering, Millie drops to her knees in front of everyone to propose to Tim, making a bold declaration that she likely believes will bring them closer together. However, his reaction is less than reassuring. Though he technically says “yes,” his halting tone and anxious expression suggest more of an “I guess” or “sure, if I have to.” That moment, meant to commemorate a step forward, instead deepens the already awkward energy surrounding them. The tension in that living room is palpable, and the uneasy feeling follows them all the way into their new life. If this strained engagement is any indicator, then their attempted fresh start might be faced with complications from the outset.
Once they finally arrive in the countryside, their new home appears tranquil enough, except for the fact that it sits near a sprawling patch of woods. A mysterious cave hides within those woods, and strange items await discovery inside it, including a bell and old church pews that seem oddly out of place. As if that weren’t peculiar enough, a supernatural force hangs in the air, hinting at ancient secrets that await uncovering. The real danger, however, comes from the water inside the cave. Anyone who drinks it quickly finds themselves under a powerful spell that seems tailor-made to disrupt any sense of normalcy. It casts an unsettling shadow over Tim and Millie’s attempt to heal their strained connection. Rather than offering them the peaceful change of pace they hoped for, this bizarre cave threatens to complicate their already shaky relationship in ways they could never have predicted.
Disturbing Discoveries
As Tim and Millie begin to settle into their newly acquired home, Michael Shanks, the Australian writer-director behind this film, unleashes a wild cascade of anything-goes ominous signs. In fact, he demonstrates a real knack for crafting startling warnings that make viewers bristle at every turn. For example, when Tim detects a funky odor emanating from one of the ceiling lights, he cannot resist unscrewing the fixture to investigate. What he discovers up there is so disturbingly gross that it also feels oddly comical, prompting a nervous giggle rather than a scream. Adding to the parade of bizarre happenings, Tim encounters a vision from Dave’s past—a super-eerie, grinning face that ends up hitting especially close to home for Tim, injecting the household with even more unsettling vibes.
Amid the general unease, Tim and Millie try to regain a sense of normalcy by venturing out on a hike through the thick woodland that surrounds their area. However, as soon as a sudden rainstorm arrives, their hike spirals into a strange ordeal. Tim slips into an opening in the ground and tumbles into a cave, forcing Millie to follow him inside. Although the opening is only around ten feet deep and has enough handholds to climb out of, they make the seemingly harmless choice to wait out the downpour by spending the night there. The environment they have wandered into, however, carries more dread than they anticipate.
The Sinister Cave
Before long, Tim and Millie realize that this cave harbors more than just a damp, rocky interior. In fact, previous events in the film’s prelude sequence showed two dogs making the dire mistake of drinking the water. Tim, perhaps feeling dehydrated or simply not thinking it through, follows in their paw prints and decides to consume that mysterious liquid. Little does he know that this single sip will trigger an otherworldly force poised to transform both his existence and Millie’s in ways neither of them ever imagined. It becomes increasingly clear that this is no ordinary cave, and the water within it carries a potent supernatural weight.

When Tim and Millie awaken the next morning, they discover, to their collective horror, that their legs are sticking together as though an invisible adhesive has bound them. Initially, they manage to pry themselves apart, but this unnerving event serves as the opening chapter of a terrifying journey that will test their bond on multiple levels. The lurking powers within that cave have taken hold in their bodies, pushing them toward a disturbing physical convergence. With every passing moment, Tim and Millie find themselves caught in a bizarre reality where their separate forms crave a literal fusion, turning their already fragile relationship into a warped test of survival.
Strange Fusion
It may sound like a wild and unusual thing for two bodies to attempt, especially in a horror movie, yet the central image that dominates the latter part of “Together” involves hands sliding beneath someone’s skin. This striking visual serves as a fascinating, albeit seemingly accidental, mirror of the climactic shot in Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer.” Although Guadagnino’s film was not a body-horror piece at all, it did offer a strangely tender vision of romantic connection rooted in physical touch. “Together” uses a more chilling framework to explore a similar idea, blending unsettling horror with a kind of startling body-on-body closeness that leaves a lasting impression on the audience.
In Guadagnino’s “Queer,” viewers witnessed an oddly fleshy fantasy that spoke to a profound sense of emotional intimacy, even if it was presented in a more dreamlike or gently surreal way than the outright gruesome moments found in horror films. “Together,” by contrast, fully embraces its horrifying nature, offering scenes that emphasize visceral sensations and unnerving bodily transformations. Yet, when you see the way hands slide underneath the skin in “Together,” it becomes impossible to ignore the eerie parallel between the two films. On the surface, the similarities might be nothing more than a coincidence, but taken in a broader context, they highlight a shared fascination with how bodies and hearts can meet in profoundly physical, even disturbing, ways.
Horror and Heart
Despite the blatant creepiness of its body-focused sequences, “Together” remains at its core a genuine love story. Yes, it relies heavily on elements that will likely make viewers squirm, but it also invests time in the sincere bond between its main characters, Tim and Millie. The film never pretends to be anything other than a hair-raising rollercoaster, yet it weaves in a genuine exploration of connection that often takes center stage. Rather than functioning purely as a vehicle for shock value, “Together” ventures into surprisingly tender territory, suggesting that love can still flourish under the most unsettling circumstances.
One might suspect that Dave Franco and Alison Brie, who are married offscreen, use their own relationship chemistry to bring Tim and Millie’s dynamic to life. Whether or not that is consciously true, there is an undeniable authenticity to the way these characters bicker and tease each other. It doesn’t play out like a set of cutesy scripted arguments designed simply to amuse viewers. Instead, it feels like a series of scuffles rooted in a decade of shared jokes, minor annoyances, and deeper frustrations that longtime couples often keep locked away until tensions flare. This sense of genuine conflict, which is neither overdone nor underplayed, adds weight to the film’s romantic underpinnings and makes the horror elements all the more compelling.
Profound Unification
Ultimately, “Together” underscores a fundamental theme: When two people truly belong side by side, they weave every aspect of their relationship, including their conflicts, into that larger tapestry. Tim and Millie might not always be starry-eyed or syrupy sweet, yet they maintain a bond that runs deeper than surface-level affection. In fact, the film subtly proposes the notion that their sense of unity could extend past emotional attachment and into physical blending—an idea that might be terrifying in literal terms but resonates as a larger statement on how intimate two people can become. With its focus on wild body transformations and genuine devotion, “Together” proves that love can be as unsettling as it is comforting, reminding viewers that true union might be found in both spirit and flesh.
In school, many people encountered Plato’s definition of love, which describes a single body split into two halves that roam the world searching for each other. If you are lucky enough to find that missing half, you have discovered real love. In this film, that very concept is presented by Jamie, who serves as Millie’s new colleague and is portrayed by Damnon Herriman. He delivers the idea with a warm yet unsettling precision that leads viewers to wonder, “What exactly is going on with this guy?” Before long, it becomes clear that his behavior links him to a creepy smiling cult, so there is more to him than meets the eye. Even though Plato’s idea is centuries old, it pops up here in a way that blends intellectual musings with eerie unease, creating a distinct undertone that lingers throughout the story.
Unpredictable Tone
At first glance, my description of “Together” might suggest a more elevated brand of horror. However, do not worry because an abundance of scenes is designed to provoke howls of shocked laughter from the audience. One prime example occurs when Tim and Millie find themselves in the midst of passionate restroom sex, only to realize they have stuck together in an extremely unfortunate way. Eventually, they manage to pry themselves apart, but the situation remains seared into the memory of anyone watching. Later, the pair decides to face their predicament using items like duct tape and a reciprocating saw, an outrageous combination that underscores the film’s willingness to embrace both comedy and gruesome spectacle.
In this current era, practical effects have experienced a cool revival, and “Together” aligns with that trend in several memorable ways. Many of the movie’s effects demonstrate genuine ingenuity, conjuring images so creative that they suggest a quirky hand-crafted approach to horror. Yet, the filmmakers do not shy away from letting a few of these visuals remain unabashedly corny, a choice that recalls the era when horror fans flocked to theaters partly to revel in cheesy, over-the-top aesthetics. The mixture of cleverness and low-budget flair endows the film with a certain playful spirit, reinforcing the idea that sometimes being too polished can dampen a horror movie’s sense of fun.
Lighthearted Darkness
Ultimately, “Together” is a body-horror adventure that revolves around a meaningful concept—love—without ever becoming solemn or self-important. It manages to balance the grotesque elements of bodily fusion with moments of humor, and it simultaneously incorporates the grand philosophical viewpoint of Plato while infusing the narrative with sinister cultish undertones. Whether viewers are snickering at the outrageous predicaments Tim and Millie get themselves into or marveling at the mishmash of homemade practical effects, they can sense a buoyant energy at the heart of the film. Rather than bogging itself down with relentless gloom, “Together” chooses to address the earnest theme of two halves seeking union in a way that is both provocative and entertaining, making it a worthy addition to the evolving landscape of horror.
