Body-horror movies typically aren’t for everyone. Their graphic violence, self-mutilation, and shock factor can alienate audiences and often overshadow storytelling. Together breaks that mold and it might just be the first body-horror film I’d recommend to anyone.
Writer/Director Michael Shanks makes an incredible impression in his feature-length debut that played to a sold out Eccles Theater on Sunday night at Sundance.
Together stars real-life couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as an on-screen pair navigating a rough patch in their relationship. Their undeniable chemistry is the heart of the film, making it impossible to imagine anyone else pulling off these roles without the same level of comfort and familiarity
After moving into their new home, the couple sets out on a hike to explore their surroundings. A wrong turn and an unexpected storm lead them to fall into a dark cave. With no food, water, or cell service, they must rely on each other and their environment to survive. After the storm passes they manage to escape but not before making a critical decision that sets everything into motion.
Shanks created a script that blurs the line of a rom-com and gross-out horror. The sold-out Sundance crowd spent the film’s 100-minute runtime alternating between laughing, jumping out of their seats, and covering their eyes.
Together is endlessly entertaining, but beneath it all lies a thoughtful exploration of love, grief, and human connection.
The gross out moments are gross. The scary moments are scary. But the way he writes the two leads with humor and heart settle you right back and really connect with this couple.
Franco and Brie are tremendous, delivering performances that balance humor, intensity, and impressive physical feats. The film simply would not work without them.
I have experience many screenings at Sundance over the last 15 years, but it’s hard to remember a screening as fun and engaging as Together’s premiere. Shanks strikes gold in his debut with his incredible cast. The Substance revolutionized body-horror in 2024, perhaps Together will make as much an impact in 2025.
