When you fall in love, oftentimes, you don’t want to leave that person’s side. That certainly has seemed to be the case with Dave Franco and Alison Brie, who have spent much of the last few years working on various projects together. Brie starred in Franco’s directorial debut, 2020’s The Rental, and the pair wrote 2023’s Somebody I Used to Know together, which Franco directed and Brie starred in. But this pair has never been quite so fun together as they are in the absolutely batshit bonkers Together, the feature debut of Michael Shanks. In this wild horror romance, Brie and Franco go completely all-in with a gleefully strange concept that’s some of their best work yet.
What Is ‘Together’ About?

Image Via 30West

Franco and Brie play Tim and Millie, respectively, a couple who are moving out of the city and to the countryside. Tim is a struggling musician who isn’t completely sure about the move, while Millie is excited to start a new job at a school away from it all. While they’ve been together for a while, the weirdness in their relationship has been slowly building: Millie gives an awkward proposal at their going-away party, she’s worried about Tim still wanting to be a rockstar, and the couple’s sex life has been nonexistent for a while. After moving into their new home, the pair go on a hike and fall into a massive hole. The inside looks like a dilapidated church of some kind, with a giant pool of questionable water. Desperate for something to drink while they’re trapped, Tim consumes the mystery water.
The next morning, Tim isn’t feeling so good, and every time he and Millie get close, they seem to get stuck together. Even more than that, their connection to each other seems to be almost magnetic. When Millie drives to town, Tim is back at home, yet his body flies around the shower depending on where Millie drives. Whenever these two aren’t close to each other, Tim’s body almost feels the need to get as close to Millie as possible. Shanks’ story quickly shifts from a story about two people who are having a particularly hard time in their relationship, into a deranged body horror film commenting on the nightmares of codependency.
Dave Franco and Alison Brie Are Unhinged and Great Together in ‘Together’

Image Via 30West

It’s hard to imagine Together working nearly as well without an actual couple at the center, and Brie and Franco are incredible together here. At first, watching the scenes of them questioning their relationship and choices is biting, as they struggle to find out what the hell is going on with them as a couple. But in the second half, all of that becomes not nearly as important when all hell breaks loose and these two are worried about being literally stuck together. Brie and Franco are so much fun as this story goes off the rails, and the more absurd this concept gets, the more enjoyable it is to watch Franco and Brie embrace this ride.

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Along with his work in last year’s Love Lies Bleeding, it’s great that Franco is embracing these types of violent, shocking roles that must be seen to be believed. He’s particularly great here as the sickness takes over and he’s trying to make sense of this wild development, and Franco does terrified panic especially well. Meanwhile, this is arguably the most daring role we’ve seen from Brie, as she goes from a somewhat boring teacher who loves Spice Girls to a frustrated woman ready to take whatever bloody means necessary to keep her separated from her partner. It’s exciting to watch Brie go so bold with this performance, as she takes charge in the relationship and in this unbelievable scenario they find themselves in.
‘Together’ Introduces Us to an Exciting New Horror Voice With Michael Shanks

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From the very beginning, with a haunting opening that hints at what terrors are on the way, Shanks’ vision is unpredictable and delightfully demented. It’s not just the body horror that Shanks does so well, but also the scares that come out of nowhere. Shanks includes a few dream sequences that feel very inspired by Kyle Edward Ball’s horrific Skinamarink, and some of the neon-lit scenes without any scares are reminiscent of the work of Jane Schoenbrun, particularly last year’s I Saw the TV Glow. Yet Shanks finds his own style independent of these influences, and it’s great to see a new filmmaker already at this level.
Similarly, Shanks’ screenplay is pitch-perfect, a great blend of unrelenting horror and moments that are so uncomfortable you can’t help but laugh. The script even manages to aptly explain what in the world is happening to these two, but without bogging the film down in unnecessary lore and history that we don’t really need. This is a film that needs a very specific tone, whether in making us squirm at the horror, or giving us the relief of a good laugh, and again, it’s surprising how well-calibrated Shanks’ story blends all these elements… together.
Together is the type of joyfully demented horror film that was made to be seen in a theater with other people on the edge of their seats. Shanks has such a great handling of exactly what his movie needs at any given moment, and Brie and Franco have never been better. Together is a savage journey and an exciting new entry into the body horror canon.
Together had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.

Release Date

January 26, 2025

Runtime

102 Minutes

Director

Michael Shanks

Writers

Michael Shanks