We’re all in high school, so it’s likely we’ve had our fair share of, or at least have had friends with, bad situationships, girlfriends, and boyfriends–relationships that didn’t give enough, gave too much, or moved too fast. Eventually, however, some may find their other half–the one they truly love and want to be beside for the rest of their lives. Michael Shanks’ “Together” calls into question: Can we become too attached to our partners? Can a relationship become too close?
“Together” follows Tim and Millie, a couple at an intensely strained point in their relationship. After Millie gets a job at a countryside elementary school, Tim is forced to compromise his dreams of touring with his band. The final spark for their relationship occurs at their going-away party, where Millie maritally proposes to Tim, causing him to be unsure about his answer, embarrassing both of them in front of all of their friends.
Luckily, their new isolated living conditions, far from all of their friends and family, are the perfect conditions to finally be close with one another, talk, and resolve their previously uncommunicated issues!
At least, that’s what we hope for. Instead, strange disturbances prevent them from being able to peacefully work things out as they attempt to settle in. During their first few days, Tim and Millie experience what seems to be the smell of a dead body lurking somewhere in their house, and Millie gets uncomfortably close to one of her new co-workers, Jamie, to Tim’s dismay. These moments coalesce into one climactic moment at the end of the first act. In an effort to spend more quality time with one another, Tim and Millie explore a trail near their home, but after an intense storm hits and some missteps from both parties, they fall into a cave and spend the night underground so they can make their way out with the help of daylight the next morning.
When they wake up, they experience an unexpected stickiness–their skin partially merging together. From there on out, the rest of the movie transforms from a few more strange experiences, in their house and outside on the town, before diving fully into a Lovecraftian-esque body horror nightmare.
The movie’s disturbing visuals are its main draw. Gore-horror and body horror as a genre have become exceedingly more outrageous and disgusting after the first big-boy horror movie, John Carpenter’s “The Thing”, set the baseline for body horror to jump off of. “Together” provides a modern take and a new baseline by reeling back on the potential shock-filled gore-fest the movie could have been.
To start, the body horror and gore itself isn’t all that disgusting. The way Tim and Millie stick together like an aloe plant being pulled apart carefully borders on uncomfortable, just enough to not turn a new viewer away. As they fuse together as the film continues, the levels of discomfort and gore increase at an unobtrusive, linear pace. Even the big moments meant to shock the audience are often shot in the dark or very close up, leaving a lot to the imagination and making those scenes far more accessible.
Keep in mind, it’s not just body horror doing all the heavy lifting. Shanks’ use of great pacing, silence, and composition sells the air of horror more than the CGI body melding itself. Many scenes that take place in the small, cramped setting of their house generate incredibly uneasy emotions, even though they often don’t include any gross imagery. By creating an atmosphere of questioning and claustrophobia, scenes of Tim and Millie just talking become incredibly tense.
The mystery of trying to figure out what exactly is going on with Tim and Millie is the film’s biggest strength. Without spoiling, many other supernatural occurrences happen, and Shanks deliberately makes it unclear whether or not all of these occurrences are actually related or not. The movie hints in several directions, selling the mystery even further. The rat king is one of the first hints we see. If you’re knowledgeable on the formation of a rat king–a combination of dirt, blood, feces, other debris, and forced enclosure in a confined space causing the rats tails to enclose together–the reveal provides a tense indication of what’s to come. If you were unaware before watching, Shanks’ continued use of claustrophobic close ups and Dave Franco’s chaotic acting keeps the moment, at the very least, an effective stress builder. There’s a particular moment near the middle of the movie that, without spoiling, made me at first think the director unintentionally created ambiguity regarding one of the characters, only to reveal that the ambiguity was purposeful at the end, providing one of my favorite “aha!” moments I’ve had watching a horror movie.
Speaking of, the main actors do–mostly–a great job of matching the movie’s energy with their performances. Between Allison Brie’s nervous yet self-reliant portrayal of Millie, and Dave Franco’s performance of the disaster of a person that is Tim, Brie is the clear standout. Aside from the gore and cinematography during scare sequences, a lot ofthe horror comes also from Millie and Tim’s relationship, many scenes carrying intense emotional weight, with big thanks to Brie. Her range of being able to portray humor and emotional vulnerability elevates these moments and makes her story feel incredibly real. However, do not discount Franco’s role. There were moments where he broke immersion by overperforming the emotionally intense and intimate scenes. Generally, through his incredible range of facial expressions, and strange ability to look completely physically destroyed through turning red with sweat, his energy brings another level to the comedic and horror sequences.
The humor is where I personally find the most enjoyment in the film. . As Jordan Peele said, “The difference between horror and comedy is the music,” and Shanks uses this idea to effortlessly weave between junctions of horror and humorous moments of levity. A director has the same goal in mind when inciting both laughs and effective scares: build tension. Many scenes will build tension towards a huge scare or bloody mess, and after the climax of the situation is reached, Shanks, knowing your heart’s bpm is still high, has Brie and Franco use their comedic skills to get a laugh out of the viewer and break the rest of that tension that was built. Brie’s mastery of a calm internal explosion and Franco’s countless breakdowns contrast perfectly in the humorous scenes. Alternatively, many scenes also fake the audience out, seemingly building up for an either emotionally charged, or intensely funny moment, only to instead catch the viewer off guard with an earned scare.
While the movie is great, it and its creators have come under fire due to allegations of copying. Smaller film productions with similar storylines like “A Better Half” and “A Folded Ocean” explore similar ideas of being too attached to one’s partner through sticky body horror. However, Shanks has come on record detailing the movie’s production history, clearing any rumors of stolen material.
Verdict: If you love horror, go see this movie! And if you don’t, but are open minded–you should go see it too! Yes, some of the emotional moments fall slightly short. However, the film’s humor, compelling mystery, and entry level body horror moments (in addition to the incredible payoff at the end of the film) makes this a movie with a story that seasoned horror fans will find fresh and just enough grossness to gross-out–but not scare away–someone just entering the genre.
