Together is one of the best surprises of the year – a smart, unsettling, and unexpectedly resonant horror film that fires on all filmmaking cylinders. Body horror is having a bit of a renaissance with 2024’s breakout The Substance, which coincidentally clears the path for this movie to be embraced, but also defining a story of its own.
The body horror in Together was tame compared to my expectations, which made way for a more unnerving and atmospheric juncture. The traditional scares are surgically incorporated in the movie; I actually cannot recollect a film recently where I jumped in my seat as I did in Together.
Most impressive were the technical and visual aspects of the movie. I would consider Together a masterful example of sound design and mixing. I feel as though any squeamishness from the movie was elicited from what is heard vs. what is seen. I was also deeply impressed with the practical effects used to achieve some of the key beats of the movie, with the exception of one glaring misstep in the back half that pulled me out of the moment. The cinematography also felt very contemporary, something we are beginning to expect out of Neon’s recent films.
But what seems to set Together apart is its emotional undercurrent. Beneath the horror is a deeply human story about modern romance, intimacy, and connection. Despite not being a Dave Franco fan, him and Alison Brie still manage to bring a real chemistry to their characters. Considering the pair have been together off-screen for over 14 years, I expected as much. The romantic tensions of their characters seemed authentic to real life, and groundedness in an abstract concept like this one is appreciated. The movie also has some comedic edge which I enjoyed.
My only real quibble is the beginning of the third act, where the story introduces a tropey element that felt out of sync with the rest of the film’s trailblazing efforts before it. I was panicked it would derail my entire enjoyment of Together, but the film manages to zag in a more satisfying direction in the final minutes.
I’m telling everyone that will listen to go see Together, a film where craft and story come together in a thrilling way that is becoming increasingly rare to come by. It is the perfect counter-programming to an endless slate of summer IP slop.
