Review: Together – Seeing eye to eye
Directed by Michael Shanks
Starring Alison Brie, Dave Franco, Damon Herriman
7/10
Ever since James Woods plunged a flesh pistol into his mangina (Videodrome), the body horror genre has cried out for a romance. Well…not really… but Together gives us one anyway—and it’s different, and strange, and darkly compelling.
When Millie (Alison Brie) and Tim (Dave Franco) move to a rural house, their relationship undergoes strain due to the new environment. However, not all those factors affecting their relationship are natural; there’s something in the environment that seeks more from their bond, something different and strange.
Using body horror as a metaphor for the changes in ego boundaries that arise from long-term relationships is frankly inspired. It allows an examination of that fear of your individual identity being lost, as well as the power dynamics at play within a relationship. Real-life couple Alison Brie and Dave Franco bring a raw earnestness to this explanation. The portrayal highlights the pitfalls and joys, sometimes with a dose of dark humour, at others with a slice of genuine terror.
Together presents this horror in a unique and stylish package. It’s a film fascinated with flesh, one minute filming it as seductively as a lover’s touch, the next showing a bloated, mouldering corpse. The effects and foley work are disquieting, helped by an unfamiliar take on a rather familiar mythology. As with the genre meld, the lore Together is riffing on is one that’s not been used in such a manner, but one that perfectly complements the film’s themes.
There are a lot of moving pieces here involving the background of the relationship issues, as well as the deeper horror mystery. At the end of the day, the narrative isn’t too complex or groundbreaking, but it is well told and tightly executed. There’s also enough gore and grotesqueness to keep most horror fans happy, as well as some genuinely funny black comedy. Add the most unsettling use of a Spice Girls song since Spice World, and you really have something special.
Despite the unexpected genre mashup and different take on mythos, Together doesn’t redefine the genre but instead gives it a quirky little gem. Darkly humorous, oddly insightful, and occasionally grotesque, this is delightful.
DAVID O’CONNELL