Body horror is not one of my favorite subgenres of horror. Mainly it’s because too many filmmakers get caught up more in the style than the substance. And sometimes body horror switches to a creature feature so the emphasis is more on special effects than story. But the greatest like David Cronenberg realized you can do more with less. The beauty of his 1986 remake of The Fly is that people say it as a warning sign of HIV/AIDS or any other terminal diseases.
Jeff Goldblum’s Seth Brundle gets motion sickness so he’s created telepods that look like something out of a cheap sci-fi movie. In the end, Brundle discovers that he has to live in isolation as a recluse because of his physical transformation. But even cancer patients are shunned from society. Many U.S. cities in the 19th and 20th Centuries passed what would be called “ugly laws” to keep people who were physically disabled or had visible scars or maimed body parts from appearing in public.
The sad part was that even though Brundle was a little eccentric, he was still likeable and wasn’t much of a bad guy compared to John Getz’ sleazy character. The truth of the matter is that sometimes, bad things happen to good people. And Goldblum is one of those actors who seems to be so likeable you’d listen to him read the phone book.
That’s why a movie like Together works. It has some plot holes but the concept of a couple who find themselves fusing together walks the straight line between absurd and straight horror that it can be forgiven for some scenes. It features married couple Dave Franco and Allison Brie as a Millennial couple whose relationship is rocky.
Millie Wilson (Brie) is an elementary school teacher who has accepted a job causing her to move to the Pacific Northwest countryside. Her boyfriend, Tim Brassington (Franco) is an aspiring musician which means he’s mostly unemployed working small gigs. At a going away party, Millie proposes marriage but Tim hesitates to respond. He’s still grieving the loss of his own parents recently.
So when they make the move to the new place, there’s already problems. Millie easily becomes friendly with her fellow educator and administrator, Jamie McCabe (Damon Herriman). But if you’ve seen enough horror movies, you know there’s more to Jamie that we will find out about in the final act.
They take a hike in the woods near their new home and accidentally fall into an underground cave during a rainstorm. They end up spending the night there. Tim drinks some water from a pool of water but Millie refuses.
From then on, they seem to experience problems, such as their legs slightly stuck together. Tim has nightmares and seizures. He’s still haunted by finding his father’s decaying corpse, he tells Millie. More and more, he finds he can’t be away from Millie.
This is the first feature movie by Michael Shanks. And he works in a scene we know is coming when Tim and Millie have sex in a public restroom only to get stuck together. The scene is both comical and frightening. It’s a good casting of using actors who have appeared in comedies and sitcoms prior. You have to take a role like this seriously but not too serious.
Brie is a very beautiful woman but she’s not afraid to show her dramatic side. There’s a way she looks at Tim and says, “Sorry,” before she pushes him off her knowing it’s going to hurt that is both funny and considerate.
Franco seems to be working overtime to move past the shadows of his brother, James, especially following the allegations of sexual assaults. The younger Franco has been able to settle into more roles where it’s more of the comic relief or an antagonist.
Here, the Franco/Brie couple understand Shanks’ concept of outdated roles in a modern society. Because Millie is the primary breadwinner, Tim is viewed in an unfavorable role by Millie’s friends and even Jamie. But if it was Tim who was a hard-working teacher and Millie was chasing her dreams of making it as a musician, there wouldn’t be as much of a pushback. It’s a good chance Millie’s friends would’ve been defending her if Tim was being upset she couldn’t find a steady job.
Also, Tim’s emotional status following the death of his parents is something people think he should get over. Men even in 2025 are still expected to tough it out. Just bottle up your emotions get on with your life.
I also like how Shanks refuses the roles on marriage proposals. Personally, I don’t care for public proposals as they put the other person on the spot. You should know whether your partner who you want to become your spouse like this. Also, a couple doesn’t have to be legally married to be a couple. Love is love and both should realize they want to do this.
That’s the core of Together. Things change once you cross over from dating to being in a relationship. Some people may not like this and laugh a little as Brie and Franco just use acting in place of special effects. But it works.
What do you think? Please comment.
Zane Says 