In one sentence: Together tells the story of a long term couple who, after a supernatural encounter, are unable to stay physically apart and are forced to confront the unsettling reality of their co-dependent relationship.

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Have you perhaps ever felt too co-dependent in a relationship? As though you cannot exist without the other person, want to crawl under their skin or stay together simply because separating feels impossible? Together explores this uncomfortable territory through the currently popular lens of body horror, starring real-life couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie.

The film follows Tim (Dave Franco) and Millie (Alison Brie), a long term couple who uproot their lives and move to a remote small town where they know no one. While hiking, they fall into a cave containing an unexplained supernatural force and wake to find their legs fused together. They manage to pull themselves apart, but this disturbing incident becomes the catalyst for an increasingly powerful physical pull that draws them back toward one another. Adding to the unease is the mystery of a recently missing couple in the area, something that especially preoccupies Tim. What unfolds is a gruesome body horror narrative laced with unexpected moments of dark comedy.

The literalisation of co-dependency is both grotesque and compelling. One standout sequence, where Tim is in the shower while Millie drives away, viscerally conveys the agony of separation from someone to whom you are unnaturally tethered. Although supernatural elements may not appeal to everyone, they function primarily as a device to foreground the physical horror, which remains the film’s dominant theme. The story becomes a sharp commentary on relationships where individuality dissolves into a suffocating ‘we’, pushing familiar dynamics to an extreme that feels both absurd and uncomfortably recognisable.

Pacing is slow in the opening act, seeded with ominous hints such as recurring dead rats and revelations about Tim’s mother’s mental health following his father’s death, raising questions about his reliability as a narrator. Once momentum builds, however, the film plunges into increasingly bizarre territory as the couple struggle against the force binding them. Visually, the cinematography leans heavily into darkness, as expected for the genre, but daytime sequences deliver some of the most striking and unsettling imagery. A surprisingly effective use of a Spice Girls track injects levity at just the right moment, offering a satirical counterpoint to the mounting horror.

The practical effects are impressively grotesque, with one discovery reminiscent of later scenes in The Substance (if you know, you know). Franco and Brie’s real-life relationship lends authenticity to the performances, allowing the film to balance tenderness, frustration and absurdity with ease. Their comedic backgrounds prove invaluable in preventing the story from becoming oppressively bleak.

While the opening feels familiar, employing classic horror tropes and foreshadowing, the film ultimately finds its own identity. The conclusion is striking and surprisingly definitive. Whether the very final moments are necessary is debatable, but many viewers will likely appreciate the lack of ambiguity.

Overall, Together offers a disturbing yet thought-provoking take on toxic co-dependency and the erosion of personal identity within a relationship. It is not for the faint hearted, but for those willing to endure the slow start, it delivers a fresh and unsettling exploration of intimacy pushed far beyond its natural limits.

★★★ (3/5)