Together
review by Bobby Blakey
NEON has been on a role with their film releasers of late with a wide range of gernes including Babes, Cuckoo, Anatomy of a Fall and Anora. The latest film Together looks to bring the strange horror to the forefront and stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie from director Michael Shanks at the helm. Could this latest dive into the horror genre come together as they hoped or will it be a union not worth witnessing?
​
Together follow Tim and Millie who find themselves at a crossroads, years into their relationship, as they move to the country, abandoning all that is familiar in their lives except each other. With tensions already flaring, a nightmarish encounter with a mysterious, unnatural force threatens to corrupt their lives, their love, and their flesh.
The trailers for this film were interesting, but I really didn’t have any idea to where it might go, so I was pleasantly surprised to how fun this flick is. The story is simple and manages to keep you engaged and unnerved for its entire run time as you try and figure out what is going on and how it will all end. It goes in plenty of directions I hadn’t expected and made for a great entry into the genre.
The power to the film is in both the visuals and even more so in the relationship of Franco and Brie. Being a real-life married couple clearly helped the chemistry that shines throughout the film no matter how insane it gets. Most films like this have the couple slowly turning on each other within the madness, but here they always come back together, which is the entire basis of the film. Underneath the craziness there is a deep love story that is insane and brutal but clearly strong between them.
​
The visuals to the film of not just the crazy things happening to them, but the varying locations things go down add to the ambiance of the story. It blends elements of light and dark that kind of mimic’s aspects of the relationship situation and its effect on the force that is clearly trying to pull them together literally.
I was surprised that through the heft of what all is happening that there is still an old school tone that made it fun, brutal and unique as one that I think will resonate with horror fans. It’s a great foray into the genre that can be enjoyed as is or punch you in the feels with its underscoring story of relationship struggles and realizations. The final act is just enough to give you some answers sort of without forcing anything to work.
Some may not like the ending and there are some visual elements that are hit and miss with the final scene being clever but also brings more questions without needing any answers. I enjoyed this film way more than expected and hope it keeps finding the audience it deserves.
In addition to the film this release includes exclusive special features, including interviews with Writer/Director Michael Shanks, stars Alison Brie & Dave Franco, and more. Grab your copy of Together available now on digital, 4K, Blu-ray and DVD from NEON.