Film Review: Together

Welcome back to the blog readers. I cannot believe I am saying this right now, but 2025 has been the year of the horror film. Most of the projects I have seen this year have ranged from good to Sinners (2025) good. For months, I have heard nothing but positive things about this film and my excitement grew as a result of that. Now that I have finally gotten a chance to see this film for myself, would I agree with the many or the few? Stick around to find out.

Together was written and directed by Michael Shanks. The film stars Dave Franco, Allison Brie, Damon Herriman, and Mia Morrissey. In the film, a couple with a contested relationship move to the countryside to begin a new life only to find themselves facing a supernatural force that causes horrific changes to their bodies.

The reaction this film has been getting over the last few months has really gotten me excited to see this film, as I mentioned in the introductory paragraphs. I do want to praise the marketing team for their brilliant use of the Turtles' song "Happy Together." Those trailers ramped up my excitement even more. Thankfully, the marketing and positive buzz worked because I walked out of this film enjoying the hell out of it. The lead performances and chemistry from real-life couple Franco and Brie are stellar, and the horror is in-your-face but not overbearing.

I first want to start by talking about the performance of Dave Franco. Franco started out as the younger brother of James who could never really get out of his brother's shadow. He has been able to do that over the last couple of years, but his Emmy-nominated comedic turn in The Studio (2025-) really began to change things for me. This film is the most serious role I have ever seen him in, and he absolutely kills it in the role of Tim. The paranoia, the dread, and the vulnerability that he is able to pull from and pour out through the screen is palpable and infectious to watch. I think it is safe to say that Dave has officially stepped out of his brother's shadow.

And now I would like to talk about Allison Brie. Brie has been one of the more underrated figures in Hollywood, appearing in films like The Post, The Disaster Artist (both 2017), and Promising Young Woman (2020). So seeing her in a body horror film, while totally different than anything she has done in her career, was refreshing. And just like hubby, she absolutely kills it in this film. She is able to pull from a vulnerability like her husband, but she also does a fantastic job of expressing resentment, guilt, and the same paranoia and dread as well. I personally think Brie should branch out into more horror like her husband, because she has proven to me that she can really pull it off.

And I want to end this review by talking about the horror aspects of this film. I had mentioned in a previous paragraph that I thought the horror elements of the film were in-your-face but not overbearing. And I want to preface this by saying yeah, that is exactly what it feels like. Not only that, the elements borrow a little from The Substance (2024) in the grotesque nature of what we see from each. Although I would say that the body horror in The Substance is worse. But in this film, they really decide to play the waiting game with the horror. And what I mean by that is that what we get starts off small and slow-burning, but ramps up by the film's end to give us some insane visuals. It almost feels like a video game increasing the difficulty as it is played, such as a Soulslike game.

In conclusion, Together is a clever body horror film that says a lot about the concept of...well, togetherness in a wild and twisted way. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.