Cast: Dave Franco, Allison Brie
Written and Directed By: Michael Shanks
Release Year: 2025
Studio/Streamer: Neon
Runtime: 102 minutes
Audio description Produced By: Creative Media Access
Written By: No Credit Given
Narrated By: No Credit Given
What Is it?: It begins as all great horror movies do, in a cabin in the woods. A couple (Franco/Brie) have recently relocated to help support her career, and are staying in a cabin that is near a dangerous place where those that unfortunately travel there become cursed. Our intrepid leads of course travel there, become cursed, and find themselves inexplicably pulled together, poking at their codependency. But, as time passes, the pull becomes more than simple attraction, but a more literal interpretation of being pulled together.
Why It Doesn’t Work: I am a big fan of Allison Brie. It really started with Community, but has bled into everything she’s done. I was upset that Glow got yanked while filming its final season, and I was rooting for her to get She Hulk. I do like Franco, but Brie would be the draw for me here, even though they are a real life couple and that should be helping this film a lot.
Perhaps that’s what the director was resting on, the fact that these two should inherently have chemistry as an actual couple. But, it is more than just attraction, as this film is trying to have a commentary on relationships, balance, codependency, and commitment.
The film falls short by not allowing itself to breathe in the beginning. It is far more consumed by its concept, even having animals being pulled together for effect, that it forgets to establish the relation to the “curse” and the actual concept of what it is to be codependent. It is hard to tell if Franco and Brie have been together for a week, a month, or ten years. Their dynamic should have been set up independently, far before they ever get to the cabin. If you look at Ari Aster’s better crafted Midsomer, he doesn’t immediately throw his leads into the festivities. There’s actually quite a bit of development at the top of the film, before they ever make the journey, and the characters are better for it. In many ways, Together is a film that should have three established acts, one that starts by reinforcing our leads away from danger, and the cabin, and a second when they arrive to the cabin, that establishes their new setting, and hints at danger around them, and then a third act that fully goes for broke on the body horror and intense connections explored sporadically throughout. This is a film that isn’t really sure where its peak is, and instead of having a clear moment, it has several troubling hints at what’s to come at the end.
But throughout, there are slight references to their jobs, things in the past, and a brief scene at the beginning with some friends that tells more than shows. We should understand the complexities of these two long before. However, what could have been on the level of The Substance in terms of smartly conceived horror that doubles as social commentary, Shanks is just way too consumed with smushing things together because it looks cool.
And for many, that will be enough. But sadly, I saw a much better future for this film, and it just required a bit of focus, and a tweaking in the script. This film is disappointing because it had the potential to not just be good, but great. At the end, it really isn’t anything except an exploration of what an effects team can do under this horror concept.
The Audio Description: I thought the nnarrator’s voice was perhaps a bit much, but Together leans more horror comedy as opposed to straight horror meant to terrify. So I’d give it a pass, because the actual writing, the content, is good. It’s a film that is enveloped by pervasive gore, and those AD tracks need to find the ick factor. This does that.
Why You Might Like it: Together is driven by two likeable actors doing good work in a film that is centered on body horror. I may not be a thumbs up, but I’m not so far removed from it that I can’t understand why some would like it perfectly as is. If you don’t expect a mountain, you’ll enjoy the molehill.
Why You Might Not Like it: I’ve come to expect better from Neon, and frankly, after The Substance, I think the bar has just been raised in terms of what horror really can be, even when it is dripping with gore.
Final Thoughts: A character study without characters. together fully relies on its gory premise, and puts character development in the backseat, hoping the charismatic leads are enough to keep you glued.
Rotten: 5.4/10
