Having trouble with physical or emotional intimacy with your partner? Struggling to find your way in life after a loss? Have you tried... a supernatural encounter that causes you and said partner to find yourselves not just craving one another but begins fusing your bodies together? If not, check out the new film Together starring real life couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie!
Michael Shanks' debut Together was one of the big hits from this year's Sundance Film Festival, with Neon picking up the supernatural body horror for a hefty sum. In May the team and Neon were sued for alleged copyright infringement from a filmmaker whose reportedly pitched Brie and Franco on his 2023 Better Half which features a similar story. Shanks claimed that the script for Together was written about his relationship with his wife well before any of that took place, so the drama has seemed to have completely blown off. I'm glad that seems to be resolved because this is a great addition to 2025's horror slate.
Tim (Franco) is a musician whose city life is interrupted when he and his partner Millie (Brie) move to the country so she can take on her dream job as a small town teacher. As a couple they are struggling with intimacy thanks in part to grief that has taken a hold of Tim, so their hopes are that the move helps them spice things up again. Amidst a hike in the woods, they stumble upon a strange cave where they are forced to spend the night to avoid a storm. After returning home, they begin to notice strange changes and feelings, supernatural forces pulling them together both literally and figuratively.
One of the clear highlights of this is the dynamic between the two leads. Obviously being a real couple (and one of the cutest in Hollywood in my opinion) they have a ton of chemistry. What wowed me though was how tense they were able to get, combatting one another with genuine struggles that come up in a relationship. It's almost upsetting to see tension between the two of them but I'm sure their comfort with one another is part of what allowed everything to feel so real. Brie is phenomenal throughout, and while his performance as a whole is weaker than his wife's, Franco really shines in the moments of fear or pain.
Alongside his great leading pair, Shanks also shows a ton of promise as a horror filmmaker. I loved the visual style here, with some sharp but broody cinematography creating a rich atmosphere. Even before the film picks up I was hooked thanks to just how fascinating the shot compositions and lighting are. The tension is also built up pretty damn well, with pretty much every scare feeling earned. One creative area I wasn't a huge fan of is the sound design, where there are several moments that cut the noise to a dull ringing amidst something like an anxiety attack, a choice that I don't mind once or twice but was used just a bit too much here.
In terms of the film as a body horror, I was impressed but wish it went a bit harder. The practical effects on display are magnificent, and there are some moments that will absolutely make you wince, but I feel that there was space for some more gore to really lean in to the body horror side of it. There's a scene with a saw that has been teased a lot in the trailer and this is one that really let me down, teasing something truly gruesome but not really delivering. On the whole I found the final act a bit rushed as well, speeding up character arcs and plotlines without giving them enough room to breath and feel their weight. The climax has a lot of great stuff in it but doesn't feel as earned as I wish it was.
This may not be a body horror classic like I thought it could be, but it's still a damn good watch. Alongside the dynamic duo at the heart of it there's also a great side performance from Damon Herriman, and Shanks shows himself as a name to look out for in the horror sphere. 3.5/5
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