TOGETHER BRINGS THE ICK

 Together is a great film. It’s not a comedy but has some darkly comic moments. Dave Franco and Allison Brie are exceptional as Tim and Millie, who have been dating for at least a decade, if not longer. Although they have just moved to a new house in a rural area, both are at a point where they are beginning to question their relationship (neither has proposed yet).

While exploring the woods around their home, they fall into a hole and find themselves stuck for the night. Tim drinks from a small pool of water he finds despite Millie’s protests, and the next morning they manage to drag/pull themselves back to terra firma. Unfortunately, the damage has been done and Tim quickly begins to exhibit odd behavior. Soon, they both find themselves being pulled together into one whole. Is there any way to reverse this nightmare, or are Tim and Millie doomed to be together forever?

Dave Franco and Allison Brie perfectly capture the existential terror of being forcefully morphed with another person against your will. Yeah, this film is pretty foul. Every single scene where Tim and Millie’s bodies are trying to combine into one had me squirming and gagging. The sound design and effects used (some practical, mostly CGI) are effective and assist in the “making-you-sick” department.

The cinematography is handled by Germain McMicking. He does an excellent job at capturing the natural beauty of the locations. There are lots of scenes set in forest-y areas, and he makes every one look good. Likely his best shot scenes were inside the hole, the interiors of which look alien, surreal, and odd. 

The portrayal of co-dependency is interesting and different. In Together, being without the other person for any amount of time is like an addict going through physical withdrawal from a drug. Tim looks consistently weak, tired, ill, and twitchy throughout. His behavior and symptoms only worsen if Millie steps out.  

The scenes where Tim’s (and later Millie’s) bodies act against their will and pull towards each other, contorting around obstacles as our leads desperately try to fight back, are harrowing and horrifying. The body contortionist abilities of Franco and Brie, or their stunt doubles Bray Buenrostro and Monique Dawes, are very impressive and freaky.

The mythos behind the water is interesting, but barely there. It’s essentially an afterthought. It also feels like there were ways to avoid the ending we got. It’s not a bad ending by any means, it’s just pretty damn sick. 

Together is like an imperfect mixture of The Substance and Cuckoo. The proceedings are always uncomfortable, weird, and gross. The themes regarding complacency, co-dependency, and relationships are interesting and Dave Franco and Allison Brie breathe believable life to their roles. Together is well-made and effective, but remains tough to recommend as it takes its premise as far as it can go, for better and for worse.

4 STARS