Together Coalesces into Something Wonderfully Grotesque

“Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

This Bible quote, taken from Genesis, is meant to be metaphorical in its own context. However, in the case of Alison Brie and Dave Franco’s new horror film, Together, it is quite literal. Although the two are not joined matrimonially, they nonetheless spend the entirety of the film attempting to escape what seems to be an inevitable outcome: the melding of their flesh into an entirely new being.

Together takes this premise and runs with it, crafting an irresistible film that simultaneously dares you to keep your eyes focused on the grotesquery that is occurring onscreen. With excellent performances from Brie and Franco, this film is everything a co-dependent relationship body horror movie should be. Michael Shanks, in his feature film debut, has wholeheartedly killed it.

Let’s Take a Hike

Tim (Dave Franco) and his girlfriend, Millie (Alison Brie), are in the process of moving to the countryside. On their last night before leaving, Millie proposes to Tim. Tim, in front of all their friends, awkwardly hesitates to respond.

The couple has reached a bit of a standstill in their relationship. Tim hasn’t slept with Millie in months since the recent passing of his parents in a horrific incident. Instead of investing in his relationship, he’s throwing himself into unrealistic dreams of being a rock star. If his nightmares are anything to be believed, Tim believes he needs Millie more than Millie needs him. Resentment is brewing. Millie, meanwhile, is growing frustrated at Tim’s lack of effort. His overreliance on her, even for the little things (he only has his learner’s permit), is getting on her nerves.

The two believe that a move and a new job for Millie as a schoolteacher might just be what they need.  After they move into their new home, however, the situation does not improve.  That may be due to the water they drank after falling into a cave on a recent hiking outing.  The cave has various strange bells with “new age” symbols on them. Their neighbor and Millie’s overly friendly co-worker, Jamie (Damon Herriman) tells them that the site used to be the location for a church. Whatever was there doesn’t bode well for Tim and Millie. Yes, strange occurrences are taking place. And these aren’t just Tim’s everyday panic attacks. His body is literally being drawn towards Millie’s.  And it’s getting harder and harder to keep apart…

An Unholy Fusion

What makes Franco and Brie so believable in their roles is that they are, in fact, a real-life married couple. The ups and downs of a relationship on the rocks is sold so well because these two actors have lived through similar circumstances (minus the body melding, of course). Their fights, banter, and hidden insults and jokes are completely naturally delivered.

The couple’s actual relationship, I imagine, also allows them to get up close and personal in ways that wouldn’t work for other actors. There are a few scenes here that call for extremely intimate work. Franco and Brie don’t have to sell that they’re comfortable with each other, because they obviously already are. One scene in a bathroom stall has both actors squeezed on top of each other, half-naked, for instance.

The scenes of Tim and Millie melting together into a unholy fusion are every bit unnerving as you would expect them to be from the trailers.  But they also carry with them a sense of humor that you wouldn’t expect. The outrageous sequences are so outlandish that I couldn’t help but chuckle at what was happening onscreen. Especially memorable is a hallway sequence in which both Tim’s and Millie’s bodies are dragged across the floor towards each other, contorting and bending in unnatural, unnerving ways. The scene with the electric saw is not as gory as you would expect it to be, but it also carries with it a sly sense of dark humor that gnaws on the edge of dark horror.

We’re Happy Together

Thematically, the film is making a metaphorical statement on the necessity of opening oneself up to one another to make strides as a couple. Tim holds himself back from fully investing in his relationship with Millie because he refuses to open himself up emotionally. Millie veils her frustrations with Tim in little jabs and insults instead of openly communicating with him. One can imagine frustrations eventually boiling over, which they do. The couple’s journey, then, is one of learning to rely on one another and build trust to escape their predicament. The film could also possibly be viewed as a trans allegory, with the characters of Tim and Millie representing different aspects of a trans individual attempting to reconcile them in wholeness. However, saying much more than that might be spoiling the ending.

The script itself entirely sells their relationship, and as said before, Franco and Brie completely sell it.  There are few other actors in the film, so the majority of the action centers around them.  There are a few questions I was left with towards the end of the film that weren’t exactly answered by the end of the film, but those seem minor in the end.

Two Become One

With two actors at the top of their game, a strong script, inventive gross-out sequences, and a splash of dark humor, Together is an excellent entry in body horror. With films such as The Substance and The Ugly Stepsister debuting in theaters recently, the genre may be making a comeback.

I have one last piece of advice to leave you with before you see this film. Please, for the love of God, do not make this a first date film. As this IGN article informs, it’s about what being a couple means in every sense of the word. This is simply not a first date movie.

Otherwise, go see Together and try to get The Spice Girls’ “2 Become 1″ out of your head.

Score: 9/10

Together is now playing in theatres nationwide.

Together – Official Trailer (2025) Dave Franco, Alison Brie

Check out the trailer for Together, an upcoming horror film starring Alison Brie and Dave Franco. Years into their relationship, Tim and Millie (Dave Franco and Alison Brie) find themselves at a crossroads as they move to the country, abandoning all that is familiar in their lives except each other.