Together

Grade: A-

Maybe it never left, but The Substance seemed to put the body horror genre back on the map in a major way. Now we have Together, which is sure to stick with you and get under your skin. In a very twisted way, it’s a sweet love story that left me feeling romantic, and had me wanting to be closer to my loved one. It’s funny, too. There are sneaky laughs in the midst of some insane body horror.

After a prologue involving a search party looking for a couple of hikers, followed by a sticky situation with two dogs – we meet Tim (Dave Franco) and Millie (Alison Brie). They have been together for 10 years or so, and are about to relocate from the city out to the country. Millie has just gotten a great teaching job there. They’ve been having some relationship problems, but they are optimistic that their move will be just the jumpstart they need to get out of this rut.

While out hiking near their new home, they get lost, and fall down a hole into a cave. It’s storming like crazy, so they decide to wait it out. They are thirsty, and Tim finds some – by all appearances – drinkable water. They come out from the cave on the next beautiful sunny morning, and their bodies are never the same. They stick together whenever their skin touches. When they kiss, she accuses him of biting her lip. In the middle of the night, they wake up to find him choking on her hair. And, in case you were wondering if there was a scene like this: yes, they have a lot of difficulty breaking apart after some heavy physical activity.

The average moviegoer already knows the premise from trailers, or even the poster. Since we are a couple steps ahead of the characters, Together is full of moments that play on the fact that we already know things they’re still figuring out. In an early argument scene, there’s a line that I just KNEW would come into play later, and it does. You’ll know it when you hear it. We know they shouldn’t be drinking that cave water because we saw what happened with the dogs when they partook. I got anxiety whenever they physically touched, even if it was holding hands. And when unpacking in the country home, they come upon an electric saw. Need I say more?

Not everything worked for me. The backstory about Tim’s parents is confusing and not needed, as it never gets a callback or payoff. I also wasn’t crazy about a climactic moment where somebody walks in to a room at a perfect time to see something on a TV screen that makes everything make sense. Not only that, but someone was standing in the shadows, undetected, waiting for this character to come in, walk right past them, and make this discovery. However, I loved so much of Together. Franco and Brie are married in real life, so of course they work well as an onscreen couple. Damon Herriman (Better Man, The Bikeriders, Run Rabbit Run, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood) is great as a fellow teacher who is also just about their only neighbor. He becomes friendly with Millie, and so easily could have been the “other guy” who is only there to make the male lead suspicious, jealous, and paranoid – but there are at least two reasons why that’s a non-issue. I love the way he’s used. This is an impressive feature film debut from writer/director Michael Shanks. Remember that name.

I did pretty well avoiding spoilers before my viewing, except for accidentally reading somewhere that it has a happy ending. It does, but not in any potential way I predicted. Even while rewriting my mental projections as I watched the final act unfold, I did not see it landing where it ends up. The final shot – which I found unpredictable and perfect – provided me with a revelation about something from earlier. It didn’t sink in until afterwards. Together is a film bursting with life, sure to generate conversations and discussions – both about plot details and takes on the underlying message. That’s what movies are for, and it’s great to see one like that.

Grade: A-