'Together' Review: A Grotesquely-Beautiful Love Story Marred By Pacing Issues & Local Censorship

Hype Malaysia

5 days ago

Out of all the horror sub-genres, there is one that few filmmakers dare to explore — body horror. It is arguably a taboo subject matter, as it forces us, the viewers, to sit through a horrible transformation that our minds are not ready for or do not want to comprehend. The first movie that comes to mind is none other than John Carpenter's 'The Thing', but even after 40 years, it still elicits some queasy reactions and gasps from moviegoers.
But four decades have passed since that sci-fi horror flick landed in cinemas; isn't it time for a brand new body horror movie to come around and take up the mantle? Enter 'Together,' the latest supernatural body horror movie written and directed by Michael Shanks in his directorial debut. It stars real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a loveable but awkward duo that suddenly finds themselves being warped into something horrific.
The film opens with Tim (Franco) and Millie (Brie), long-time partners who are entering the next portion of their lives, as they move away from the city into the countryside in order to grow as individuals, yet live with the lingering fear of them growing apart from each other. One day, while hiking in the countryside, the two fall into a cave during a storm, and stay the night.
However, ever since that fateful misadventure, the two find themselves wanting to become one with each other in every sense of the term. Terrified by this unnatural attraction and the prospect of them fusing into one being, the two try all sorts of ways to separate themselves as they try to undo the curse that has afflicted them.
If we are to explain how 'Together' makes us feel in one sentence, we would say that it is 'a unique cinematic experience, for better or worse'. There are a lot of things to unpack here, as it is an unconventional film, and an extremely interesting one. From the very start to the very end, you are bombarded with uncomfortable apparitions and awkward silences and pauses – a departure from the traditional scares that we expect from horror movies.
The opening segments aren't necessarily scary, save for one scene, but they are important, as they are largely there to disturb and alert you. Unlike other films that will find ways to put you at ease to make their scares more effective, 'Together' takes a different approach in that it forces your guard up, perhaps teasing you that no amount of preparation is enough to brace you for what is to come.
From the first all the way to the second act, where the characters are still unravelling the nature of their predicament, you are blasted with all sorts of visuals that are almost akin to eldritch horror — it is confusing and it is uncomfortable, doubly so when they are trying to go about their normal lives. It is not afraid to mess with you, and it deserves some kudos for that.
However, when you peel back the horror elements of the film, it is a love story. In the opening sequences, we get the sense that Tim and Millie are on the rocks, no matter how much they say they love each other. In some messed-up way, the curse placed on them is meant to put their relationship to the test and see if they really are compatible with one another. And what sells this idea is the stunning performance between Franco and Brie, two A-list celebrities who are actually madly in love with each other in real life.
The chemistry between the two is simply stunning, and you can always feel it whenever they share a scene together. Because of this, some comedic segments in the film are actually funny and do not feel the least bit forced. It is their love that actually helps ease you into the disgusting horror show that is happening before our eyes.
However, the reason why this film works to begin with is because of Michael Shanks' direction. Through his masterful use of tension and scares, we are slowly pulled into this horrific story. Though it is not a perfect movie by any means, it is still a great outing for a debut film, prompting many viewers to plan on keeping tabs on Shanks' future works.
Yet, for all the praise it's received, 'Together' is still largely held back by its story and pacing. The whole appeal of the movie is the body horror, but you don't see much of it until the very end of the movie. Sure, we see them slowly merging to one but it still feels pretty tame, all things considered. Furthermore, whenever we do see the body horror monstrosities, it is always when the transformation is complete; the whole appeal of the body horror sub-genre is seeing the transformation before your very eyes.
If you compound the lack of body horror in a body horror film with a rushed pacing, you get one hot mess of a film. Though it has a 1-hour and 42-minute runtime, 'Together' feels pretty compressed. Generally speaking, the film would have benefitted if it had received 30 minutes of additional footage that showcase people actually transforming into monsters as well as being given a proper explanation of how and why it is happening to begin with. Even simply teasing us with the answer might have done wonders for the movie, rather than just lore-dumping it all on us around the halfway point of the third act.
Of course, the film might actually have all these things – but Malaysian audiences would never know, as what's playing on our cinema screens is an extremely watered-down version of the movie. Yes, the version in theatres is heavily censored, skipping out on the sex scenes, some gory bits, and the final transformation. To say this is disappointing would be an understatement. However, if you're still interested in getting your body horror fix, you can feel free to watch it in theatres when it comes out – or wait for the uncensored version when it is released to streaming platforms.
'Together' is an interesting film that successfully delivers a noteworthy cinematic and sensory experience. However, it is not perfect, as it struggles with pacing, exposition and the Malaysian censors who greatly muddy the film. If you are intrigued by the movie and would like to experience the weirdness at its fullest, it is best to wait for the official uncensored version that might be released to streaming platforms.
'Together' will arrive in cinemas on 31st July.