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Is there anything more horrifying than being stuck in a relationship rut? This is the question that writer-director Michael Shanks seeks to answer with his feature filmmaking debut, Together. The film follows long-time couple Millie (Alison Brie) and Tim (Dave Franco) as they move out to the country for Millie’s new job. Both are unhappy with the relationship, and a mysterious encounter in the woods brings the two of them closer together than they could ever imagine.
Franco and Brie produce the feature along with Erik Feig. Germain McMicking (True Detective Season 3, Mortal Kombat) serves as cinematographer, with Cornel Wilczek (Talk to Me, Bring Her Back) providing the musical composition.
Performances and Characters
As with many horror films, the cast is tiny. Brie portrays Millie, a teacher, and her real-life husband, Franco, portrays Tim, Millie’s long-term boyfriend with dreams of being a rockstar. The two are both clearly unhappy in their relationship. Yet, they fear the idea of being alone more than anything, so they stay stuck in their rut. Both Franco and Brie do a great job with this material and can hit every one of these perfectly. The problem is that the film never bothers to develop the characters beyond what gets established in the opening. There is some semblance of a character arc for both Millie and Tim. Even with the film’s dramatic conclusion, both characters feel largely unchanged and underdeveloped.
Despite being a two-hander, the film balances Tim’s point of view slightly heavier than Millie’s. This is a bit of a shame since Brie is the stronger of the two actors. It would have made the film stronger to spend some more time with her.
Rounding out the cast is Damon Herriman as Jamie McCabe, the couple’s curious neighbor. Like the leads, there’s not much to this character, but Herriman does well with the little material he is given. He’s suitably intriguing, disarming, but also a little creepy. It’s a small but effective part.
The Horror of Genre Blending
Central to the film is the idea of codependency and settling into a relationship. Unfortunately, the film treats this idea with a very surface-level look. Every bit of the film is geared toward this idea that kind of beats you over the head with it. Together is more of a relationship drama with a few horror elements thrown in. And Shanks’s screenwriting for the actual “body horror” is rather lacking and easy to predict. That is not to compare it too much to Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance, as the two films have very different goals and ideas. However, The Substance‘s body horror is far more entertaining and upsetting. It feels almost as if an afterthought at times in Together. With that said, the few moments that are present are quite good and employ some great effects work. But again, in a post-The Substance world, it’s underwhelming.
Another thing to keep in mind is that this film has much more comedy than one would expect. That aspect of the narrative pushes it more towards a black comedy or “dramadey” than pure horror. Yet, most of this comedy and horror is reserved for Together‘s final third. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it may catch audiences off guard. And the film never quite strikes the right balance between the cross-genre elements of horror, drama, and comedy. This isn’t to say the tone is inconsistent, but rather it’s just unusual.
Additional Thoughts on Together
.The only other real thing of note is McMicking’s cinematography. It’s not groundbreaking work, but the film looks great and there are a few truly impressive shots. Gaffer Ruru Reedy’s lighting, along with production designer Nicholas Dare et al’s atmosphere, is always on point in the shots. It’s probably the best element of the film aside from one or two of the visual effects employed in the body horror or nightmare sequences.
The Verdict on Together
Together constantly promises more than it can actually deliver. The film never quite gets going, and in the few moments when it does, it fails to deliver something unique. Instead, it retreads ground done better in a dozen other films. All in all, Together is less than the sum of its parts and makes for a somewhat entertaining but disappointing watch.
Score 3/5
Michael Shanks’s Together is playing now in theaters!
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Sometimes I write things, but mostly I watch movies.
