Film Review – Together

July 31st, 2025 | POSTED BY Allen Almachar

It goes without saying: Relationships are hard. Sure, that initial courtship is all roses and butterflies, where everything is exciting and new – that part is easy. But once you move past that phase, when you become comfortable and know each other’s ins and outs, that’s where the real work begins. Coordinating your lives, finances, family obligations, etc. Having to compromise and balance one another in both the good and the bad – it’s not a walk in the park for anyone. Many relationships end because that balance is hard to achieve. For the couple at the center of Together (2025), that turmoil is not only at the heart of their dysfunction, but also the basis of a horrific nightmare that tests their resolve physically and mentally.

Real-life couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie star as Tim and Millie, two people whose relationship is at a crossroads. He is a struggling musician who is coming to the reality that he will not reach the success he’s dreamed of. She is a teacher who has accepted a new job outside of the city. This development has caused tension between Tim and Millie, so much so that when she proposes to him during their going away party, his initial hesitation does not go over well. Moving out into the country was meant to give the two a fresh restart, but what plays out is anything but a positive experience. Tim is plagued with feelings of inadequacy, stemming from both a traumatic childhood experience and his inability to support Millie. And while Millie clearly loves Tim, having to be responsible for them both lays seeds of discontent. 

This set up alone is enough for a compelling relationship drama. But given that this is categorized as a horror film, we know that bad things will happen very quickly. Writer/director Michael Shanks constructs his narrative with not-so-subtle symbolism. The trouble starts when Tim and Millie get lost while hiking in the woods. They take refuge in a cavern that looks like it came out of the imagination of H.R. Giger. Their time in the cavern lead to dire consequences, where the two are put through gruesome and painful anguish. Shanks leans into the body horror aspects of the story, immediately calling to mind the work of David Cronenberg. Needless to say:  things get sticky and gooey, forcing the couple to dive deep within themselves (metaphorically and literally) to figure a way out of their predicament. The allegory is obvious in how their relationship was slowly falling apart but is now under the stress of them coming together in more ways than one.

Franco and Brie (who also serve as producers) go all in with their respective parts. It’s one thing for them to be comfortable together through intensely intimate scenes (I mean, that goes with the territory of a real-life romance), but to do so in front of the camera must’ve been an extremely vulnerable experience. Franco and Brie meet the challenge. To say that Tim and Millie have a rocky relationship is an understatement. Franco and Brie navigate the ups and downs of the characters with ease. The two exhibit love, affection, tension, resentment, pain, and confusion with equal believability. And that doesn’t take into account the physical, almost animalistic nature of the story. There are scenes where they twist, turn, and contort their bodies in all sorts of directions. They don’t shy away from the more grotesque elements – in fact they meet it with full conviction.

The make-up and special effects conjure the gory bits with an up close, in-your-face intensity. What starts off as a small, almost throwaway instance of grossness soon escalates into full body mangling. Some of these sequences will have you cringing in your seat. One scene taking place in a bathroom stall is highly effective in making us feel every skin ripping and blood spilling moment. Of course, given that Franco and Brie have natural comedic timing, several of the horror scenes are accompanied by a funny look, expression, or punchline. During another highly charged exchange, the two make a rather curious decision with an electric saw. How they go back and forth over who should use it, where to use it, how to use it, or even if they should use it at all has a clear comedic tone. The way they bumble about dropping the saw has overt parallels to classic screwball comedies. Whether intentional or not, the levity of the humor does help offset the more serious themes. 

As finely produced as the film is, there are pieces that don’t fit as well as the rest. Damon Herriman plays Jamie, a fellow teacher that befriends Millie. Herriman plays Jamie as warm, friendly, and unassuming. He lives a short distance away and gives Tim and Millie some well needed exposition regarding the area they moved into. While Herriman is completely fine in his performance, he sticks out like a sore thumb every time he appears. The writing doesn’t give Jamie enough dimension for us to fully invest in. Right away, we have our suspicions. Is he infatuated with Millie? Is he jealous of Tim? Does he know anything about all the weird stuff that’s been going on between them? Jamie is clearly a questionable character, red herring or not, and his ultimate reason for being included can be easily deciphered by smart viewers. 

The mystery of Tim and Millie’s “affliction” is what drives the narrative. The bizarre, almost surreal circumstances of their plight, combined with the fact that their relationship was already hanging on by a thread, creates intrigue. It’s only when the writing and direction begins to provide answers that things come undone. Instead of keeping us in the dark, Shanks uses the third act to uncover several of the secrets. The problem with that approach is that no answer is satisfactory. This is a situation where our curiosity is far better at keeping us engaged than the plot itself. The more we understand what is going on, the less of a hold it has on us. This culminates to a final shot that is meant to shock and provoke but comes off as awkwardly absurd. There is so much good stuff leading up to the final seconds that the whole thing doesn’t fall apart because of it. However, instead of closing with a bang, the narrative ends stumbling over its own feet. It turns what has been a great film into a pretty good one.

Together works through the strength of its performances. Dave Franco and Alison Brie utilized their own relationship as a basis for their characters. They allowed themselves to explore avenues that pushed their limits as actors and as a couple. The result is disturbing, gruesome, and oddly funny. I may have some minor issues with it, but for the most part I was locked in with where things were going. This is the tale of two people coming together while growing apart. In other words, it’s the perfect date movie.

Alison Brie, Damon Herriman, Dave Franco, David Cronenberg, Michael Shanks, Together