Together is directed by Michael Shanks and the cast includes Alison Brie, Dave Franco, Damon Herriman, Mia Morrissey, Jack Kenny, Sunny S. Walia, Karl Richmond
My Thoughts on Together
Together is the feature debut from Michael Shanks, and it’s one of those first-time films that feels way more confident than it has any right to, as he attempts a bizarre mashup of genres where body horror meets romantic comedy. and somehow doesn’t fumble it.
The premise of Together is simple enough. Dave Franco and Alison Brie play Tim and Millie, a couple who are clearly not in the best place relationship-wise.
They’ve got this kind of familiar rhythm to them. you know when two people have been together long enough that the fights just loop back on themselves? That’s Tim and Millie. And then, somehow, they wake up fused together, literally. No explanation, no warning. It just happens.
And Shanks doesn’t spend a lot of time trying to explain the how or the why. It’s not sci-fi in that way. The focus is on how this impossible situation mirrors the emotional reality of their relationship. That feeling of being stuck, of not knowing where one person ends and the other begins. that’s literal here.
And it’s smart, too. The horror doesn’t come from gore (though, don’t worry, there is some great, weird, squishy stuff), it comes from the intimacy. The claustrophobia. The awkwardness of needing space from someone who’s suddenly part of you.
Franco and Brie are really what makes a lot of the film click. If you didn't know, they are a real life couple, too. And that chemistry shows in the film. They just get each other. The way they argue feels unscripted. like we’re watching a real couple slowly lose patience, find humor in it, then break down again.
There are these really quiet moments where they just look at each other, and it says more than anything they’re actually saying. It never feels performative. You believe them as two people who once deeply loved each other and maybe still do, but are slowly realizing that love isn’t enough. Or maybe it is, but it’s mutated into something they don’t recognize.
The horror elements start small. slightly off physical symptoms, that kind of thing, and then spiral into something surreal. And while it does lean into the body horror tradition , it’s never derivative. It has its own tone, its own rhythm. You’re never quite sure whether to laugh or squirm, and that’s kind of the point.
The movie also has a distinct visual style. It plays with space in a way that enhances the story. lots of tight frames, uncomfortable close-ups, moments that feel intentionally cramped. The color palette shifts depending on the emotional beats.
There are sequences that lean into this dreamy, romantic aesthetic, and others that feel sterile, almost clinical. It’s a cool contrast. especially since the characters are physically bound together, but emotionally kind of spiraling apart.
And there are some straight-up nasty visual moments that horror fans will love. But what sticks with you isn’t the gross-out stuff, it’s the emotional aftermath. The feeling of watching two people try to untangle themselves, physically and emotionally, when it might already be too late.
The writing also deserves a lot of credit. It doesn’t call attention to itself, and the dialogue feels off-the-cuff, and lived-in. It's also a funnier film than I was expecting, and the humor isn’t punchline-driven, it’s situational, character-based.
It comes from two people who’ve had the same argument a hundred times and have reached the point where it’s either funny or tragic, depending on the day. And even in the weirdest, most grotesque scenes, that emotional throughline stays intact.
What’s really refreshing though is that Together doesn’t feel like it’s trying to be “elevated horror” or whatever trendy label people use now. It’s just doing its own thing. It’s weird and heartfelt and kind of messed up, but it’s honest.
It’s about love, but not the idealized, perfect kind. It’s about how hard it is to separate from someone you’ve built your life around. How painful it can be to try and grow when you’ve fused yourself too closely with another person.
It’s the kind of film that’s hard to categorize, but that’s what makes it good. It’s not trying to follow a formula or lean too hard into tropes. It’s personal, strange, and unexpectedly moving.
Together is definitely worth watching,. It’s a weird ride, but one that actually says something. Not just about horror or relationships, but about how terrifying it can be to confront who you are when you’ve been part of a we for so long. That’s the real body horror. And Together captures it in a way that’s funny, tender, and just the right amount of disturbing.