"Together" - A Mild Elevation of an Exhausted Formula

We all know that one couple that has been together for far too long. So much so that the writing seems to be spray painted on the wall in bright, red, neon paint for every single person… except those two. Codependency is a mostly scary, occasionally funny, painfully obvious thing, and those very same descriptors can be applied to Sundance horror darling, Together, the directorial debut of Michael Shanks, starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie. A film that seems genuinely terrified of trying anything new with story or theme, but still manages to have enough homages to The Thing with some pretty stellar direction and cutting to keep it mostly afloat. 

When looking at horror films about codependent relationships, the concentration of them seems to fall in that little sweet spot between fresh, and done to death. Most recently, Robert Eggers' Nosferatu took a pretty wonderful stab at the subject, but the idea of literally fusing a couple together, and casting a real married couple to do it does feels like a whole new level of on-the-nose storytelling. In one sense, I applaud this because it seems as though this level of absurd obviousness is still not enough for certain people to get the message. But in terms of story if you have seen a horror film before you’ll likely guess exactly where this is going to go from the moment the plot kicks into gear.  

Franco and Brie are excellent in the film, and it’s quite amusing watching them do press because it seems pretty clear that they are the furthest thing away from the couple they are portraying. It feels a bit unnecessary to mention that they have great chemistry with each other, but there are some surprisingly physically demanding moments for both of them in the second half of the film that they both do a terrific job at undertaking. One particular scene in a bathroom had me simultaneously wincing, and dying of laughter. There should have been far more scenes like that in the rest of the film, but I’ll take what I can get. 

Filmmaker, Michael Shanks clearly has a tremendous eye for direction, and his staging of even the most mundane moments in this film are always inspired. Coupled with the sharp, rhythmic editing by Sean Lahiff, the beat-for-beat predictable level story actually flows incredibly well with Shanks' writing and direction. 

In terms of the script, as mentioned earlier it unfortunately dumbs almost everything down to the most literal descriptor more often than it doesn’t. The first act of the film in particular beats you over the head with some of the most obvious symbolism you’ve ever seen in your life, as well as some truly cringe-inducing moments of exposition and set-up. Admittedly, the opening sequence is one of my favorite ones of the year, as it establishes the tone, imagery, and score largely effectively. But for the succeeding half an hour, the film trips over itself a lot, and struggles for a long time to get back on its feet. 

For a modern body-horror film like this to work, it needs to have some exceptional practical effects. And this film absolutely has them… just not as much as I was hoping. When they are on screen they are flawless, and at times genuinely jaw-dropping, but some of the restraint in the imagery felt almost as if the filmmakers were nervous about receiving a higher MPAA rating than inducing terror; which is strange since the film is already Rated R. 

There is also a darkly comic side to this film that takes a while to reveal itself, but once it gets comfortable enough in its own skin, and feels confident enough to balance the tones, a lot of the jokes were surprisingly great. There’s the electric saw bit we’ve all seen in the trailer, but there are thankfully several aspects of that scene that have been kept secret from the marketing, and it delivered some of the biggest laughs out of me of the whole runtime. 

When it comes to the ending of the film, I wouldn’t call it particularly groundbreaking because it’s something that is hinted at throughout the film, and doesn’t come as much of a surprise. But despite those hints, once you see what actually happens become fully realized, it wound up working for me less than I thought it was going to. I deeply respect the swing, and how willing the film is to lean into the goofy side of it, but the switch from practical to CG effects felt wonky, and the actual delivery felt a bit dismissive. 

For a debut horror film, Together has a lot going for it. Michael Shanks knows how to craft a beautiful looking shot, the practical effects are gorgeous, the performances work well, and the editing and score are truly sharp. It may not be the biggest surprise in the world like some were calling it out of Sundance, but there are several signs in this film of even better things to come.