There’s always something special about seeing spine-tingling horror blend with tender romance—especially when some grotesque body-horror enters the picture. But director Michael Shanks delivers a bold, eye-widening genre-blender like no other with his directorial debut, Together.
The film follows couple Millie (Alison Brie) and Tim (Dave Franco) as their rocky relationship becomes more complicated after a supernatural energy forces them together, literally. With Together having a unique mash of genres and tones, it needs the right leads to make everything work. Thankfully, Shanks got Brie and Franco involved, who are perfectly up for all the strange challenges the film presents. Their bond as a real-life married couple drips into every smile and bit of charming banter that Millie and Tim share to create romantic depth. These two nail nearly every funny line they deliver and effortlessly create comforting valleys between all the horrifying peaks. They thrive in the film’s wildest moments and are unafraid of going full-tilt into the madness that unfolds as they’re slowly drawn to each other. And, more importantly, they excel in evoking the lingering conflicts between Millie and Tim that culminate in both sharp dialogue and strong thematic threads.
It’s made very clear from the first scene that things are off in Millie and Tim’s relationship. Tim’s unyielding trauma creates barriers in his intimacy with Millie, and also this lingering power struggle that’s slowly defining their relationship. Shades of animosity eventually evolve into full-blown resentment, and it’s not long until passive-aggressive comments turn into sharp daggers. Even when you know things aren’t great between Tim and Millie—to the point where they know it too—it’s still rough to see their bond hang on by a thread. Their love isn’t dead by any means and neither of them really wants to end things, but they’re in a rough spot where no one knows what to do. It’s where the film’s depiction of co-dependency consuming a relationship reaches gutting depths, and there are themes of toxic complacency wrapped around their dynamic. It’s all boosted by the distinct vulnerability Franco finds in his performance that lets Tim’s self-anguish drive the emotion and the brutal honesty that Brie evokes for some hard yet necessary realizations.
The central arc surrounding Millie and Tim’s relationship woes acts as a great narrative to anchor the horror,—even if it’s not as strong as it could be. There are some story threads, like Tim’s family trauma, that are lazily thrown into the film and don’t add much to what’s happening. While there are compelling elements to Millie and Tim’s conflicts, it can become exhausting to watch these two do the “will they, won’t they” cycle. The dialogue tied to their issues constantly runs in the same circles, and it’s where the film can feel like it’s making no progress, causing the pacing to drag. However, there are other great story elements sewn in that often help the film regain its momentum. The breadcrumbs tied to this understanding of the supernatural spell on Millie and Tim is really interesting and amplified by an unexpectedly great performance from Damon Herriman. Plus, the constant threat of Millie and Tim literally being forced to conjoin builds these amazing shifts in the story that let Shanks’s stunning horror vision twist reality.
Shanks channels such captivating body-horror that it’s hard to believe that Together didn’t come from a Cronenberg. Early on, he constantly puts viewers into a state of unease through some strong scares that turn Tim’s dreams into pure nightmare fuel and some tastes of the visual horror that’s to come. There’s a scene of spontaneous lust that’ll have audiences shrieking at the results. Honestly, even some of the aesthetics surrounding the film’s supernatural element are really strong and creepy as hell. The way Millie and Tim are connected and pulled together builds some real nail-biter moments that’ll have viewers on edge. It’s nothing compared to the final act, though, where Shanks lets the wheels fly off to showcase some of the most visceral and entrancing body horror in recent memory. It’s where this whole conjoining aspect of the plot feels satisfying and truly horrifying and the mix of practical and digital effects is superb. It’s top-notch horror that’s unforgettable and creates a fulfilling, yet mortifying end that defines crowd-pleasing horror.
Together is the horror film of the summer that moviegoers need to see to believe. It can’t always utilize its story elements to their fullest potential, but Shanks’s vision mixed with must-see performances from Brie and Franco make it a genre-blending banger.
