It was so close
Much like the 2015 Seattle Seahawks’ infamous Super Bowl loss—where they played a brilliant game only to throw an interception at the goal line—TOGETHER delivers 95% of a near-great film, only to fumble in the final moments. And yet, that doesn’t undo just how wild, clever, and entertaining the ride really is.
Directed by Michael Shanks, TOGETHER is this year’s most audacious entry in the body horror space. It stars real-life couple Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Minnie and Tim, a couple who’ve left behind city life so Minnie can teach in a remote small town. The film opens with a slow burn—15 minutes of emotional groundwork laying bare the couple’s strained relationship: Tim’s unresolved trauma, Minnie’s sacrifice, and the unspoken tension of two people trying to hold it together for each other.
And then they go hiking.
After falling into a mysterious cave during a nature walk, the couple emerges shaken—and soon, something starts happening to Tim. Something bizarre, visceral, and deeply unnerving. What follows is a spiraling descent into surreal, grotesque transformation laced with sharp humor and emotional weight. There’s a mid-movie stretch that’s just pure cinematic gold: inventive, unpredictable, gross, hilarious, and surprisingly tender.
This movie doesn’t work without Brie and Franco. Their real-life chemistry elevates every scene, giving the absurdity emotional resonance and making even the most uncomfortable physical moments feel grounded. The intimacy they bring—both comedic and dramatic—is crucial. You believe these two people have history, baggage, love, and resentment. That bond lets the film get away with a lot.
Franco turns in some of his best work, finding the perfect blend of awkward charm and slow-building dread. But it’s Brie who steals the show. She’s magnetic in every scene—hilarious, heartbroken, exhausted, resilient. This might be her best performance yet.
The film is mostly a two-hander, though Damon Herriman makes a brief appearance. The tight cast keeps the focus squarely on the relationship, and director Shanks uses that intimacy to maximum effect. He stages some incredible sequences, balancing tone with a precision that feels both confident and slightly unhinged—in a good way.
Yes, the ending is a misfire—no sugarcoating that. It’s not tonally consistent, and the final image is jarring in the worst way. It’s one of those choices that feels like it was aiming for symbolism but landed in self-parody. That said, the emotional groundwork, the performances, the pacing, the inventiveness, and the sheer fun of the ride make TOGETHER absolutely worth seeing.
This isn’t just a body horror movie—it’s also a relationship movie. It asks hard questions about compromise, emotional labor, and how far you’re willing to go for the person you love. What does it mean to complete someone? What happens when loving someone changes you—literally?
Despite stumbling in its last steps, TOGETHER sticks the landing where it matters most: heart, humor, originality, and guts. It’s one of the more memorable horror films in recent memory, and it’s going to be one people talk about. Highly recommended—just be ready to argue about the ending on your way out of the theater.
Together = 75/100
