Together
R/Horror/Comedy/102 Mins
Directed/Written by: Michael Shanks
Starring: Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Damon Herriman
Review: Relationships are hard. They can be complicated, messy and dysfunctional. However, for every relationship, there are good days and bad days. No companionship is perfect. And who knows, maybe falling into a dark cavernous cave, drinking water from a large hole and your bodies start to fuse and merge together is what it takes to reignite your spark?
Together is the directorial debut of Australian filmmaker Michael Shanks who has previously made shorts like Time Trap and Rebooted, which are absolutely creative and entertaining. And I’m happy to say, he’s taken it to the next level in the best way with his first feature. This film follows Tim (Dave Franco) and Millie (Alison Brie), a couple on the verge of separation, moving to a house in the countryside. The move causes growing tension between the two and one wants to get more serious, the other feels like their time may be coming to an end. Yet, they’re too scared to fully break it off. Shortly after settling in, they go on a morning hike through the nearby woods. Things take a turn for the worst and well I kinda hinted at it in the intro…yeah shit gets weird.
It has been a very long time since I’ve seen a film that made me laugh my ass off and be scared shitless. Shanks is previously known for having comedic tones in his past projects so I expected to find it funny but not one of the funniest films I’ve seen so far this year. Most of the humor comes from Franco who is perfect as the lovable loser boyfriend. As well as the relatability between the couple as they argue and deal with issues almost everyone has with being in a relationship.
And then on the other hand, this film terrified me and had me jumping out of my seat. It’s hard to divulge what exactly scared me, but it involves: a electric saw, a screaming rat, choking on hair, a sticky situation in a bathroom stall and body contortion. Watching it with a SXSW crowd was exhilarating. Hundreds of people screaming in fright, the collective thump sound when everyone jumped, the roaring laughter echoing through the isles. It just made it all the more effective.
The chemistry between Dave Franco and Alison Brie is also very believable. I mean it should be when you’re actually married to each other in real life. Their dynamic in the film is very much strained with a growing sense of resentment. Yet, they are also able to really emulate the love they have for each other which makes this very f*cked up movie a little romantic. This is also the type of film that requires the leads to be fully comfortable with each other. When you have to be in such close contact with another actor (EXTREMELY CLOSE) , that requires trust and what’s better than acting alongside the person you trust the most.
Speaking of closeness, I gotta give major props to the makeup/VFX department. This film has some gnarly visuals and that’s due to the very realistic nature of the body horror on display. I’ll take practical over CGI any day. As well as the sound design. You can watch a graphic and bloody scene in a movie but it’s the sound effects that truly sells it. A face hitting a bath tile, bone snapping as a body contorts, a body slam on a glass door, these are very scary and disturbing and it’s the visuals and sound that really sell it and have the maximum effect.
Together is the best horror film I’ve watched recently, it is also one of the strongest directorial debuts to come into the genre since Danny & Michael Philippou’s Talk to Me. These Australian filmmakers are changing the game. I heard this film KILLED it at Sundance and it’s one of the buzziest films to premiere at SXSW so do not miss this film when it releases later this year. I’m actually already planning to see it a second time shortly after posting this review, like Tom and Millie, I’m attached to Together.
Score: 10/10
Together is in theaters August 1st.
