My quick rating –Â 6.7/10. Together is one of those films where the less you know going in, the better. It lures you in with a familiar setup, a city couple struggling to reconnect while adjusting to life in the countryside. Then peels back its skin, quite literally, to reveal something far stranger and more unsettling underneath. What starts as a relationship drama slowly morphs into a romance, a dark comedy, and then full-tilt body horror.
Real-life couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie headline the film, and their off-screen chemistry translates effortlessly to the screen. They feel believable, and oddly endearing even when things get… sticky. You can tell they trust each other completely, which they’d absolutely have to in order to pull off some of the intimate (and grotesque) moments this story throws at them. It’s a film that asks a lot from its leads, both emotionally and physically, and they’re more than up to the challenge.
The horror here is deeply personal and very physical. Without giving too much away, the film explores transformation, not just metaphorically in the relationship sense, but literally, in ways that squirm under your skin. The practical effects are solid, but it’s the sounds—cracking, pulpy, slithery noises—that will rattle around in your head long after the credits roll. If you’re new to body horror or easily freaked out, this could be an excellent (and traumatizing) gateway film. That said, veterans of the genre might find the horror a little tame or familiar.
What sets Together apart is its willingness to break the tension. Just as the anxiety creeps toward unbearable, the film cuts it with an awkward joke or a genuinely sweet moment. At times, this works brilliantly, giving us a breath before plunging back into discomfort. Other times, it diffuses the horror so much that it loses bite. That tonal balancing act of romance, comedy, and horror all fighting for dominance won’t work for everyone, but it does make the film more accessible than your average gore-soaked nightmare.
The plot loosely follows a cult or folk-horror thread, enough to keep things interesting, though the mythology feels intentionally vague. It’s really Franco and Brie who carry the weight here. Their performances inject warmth and realism into a film that, by all accounts, should be anything but warm or real.
There’s a twist to this film’s originality (see below), so it may not have been as original as I initially assumed. Still, Together manages to do something interesting with its concept, blending humor, horror, and romance in a way that’s rare. It won’t be for everyone, but if you’re curious and can go in blind, it’s a memorable little genre-bender that deserves a look… preferably with the lights off and your dinner finished.
“The Australian horror film Together, starring Alison Brie and Dave Franco, is facing a copyright infringement lawsuit in the US. The lawsuit, filed by the producers of the 2023 film Better Half, claims that Together is a “blatant rip-off” of their movie.”
Right now, heading to the cinema is your best bet, or wait for streamers, preferably Amazon.