Together is a new film from writer & director Michael Shanks in his directorial debut. The film initially premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, but finally released wide this past Wednesday. The film stars Dave Franco, Alison Brie, and Damon Herriman. With a move to the countryside already testing the limits of a couple’s relationship, a supernatural encounter begins an extreme transformation of their love, their lives, and their flesh.

I’ve been familiar with this movie since it premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. I am not crazy about bod horror, but will admit the practical effects are always amazing. The material is simply not always for me. Between Neon picking it up and real-life married couple Dave Franco & Alison Brie being in the lead roles, that was more than enough to pique my interest. Honestly, I have found that body horror movies are better when there is something thematic behind it over just going for grotesque, and that’s exactly what you get with this film.

Debuting with a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, the score has slowly trickled down into the low 90’s, but that’s still with over 100 critic reviews. As a directorial debut from Michael Shanks, that’s incredible. The film is already making big enough of an impact that will surely lands Shanks onto his next role. I truthfully don’t even think he’s going to try to do something like this. You can tell where he is letting the genre tell his story versus the other way around. He’s never going for grossing out the audience, but rather leaving a lasting impact. What better way to do that than with real-life married couple Dave Franco & Alison Brie.

I’ve been a big fan of Brie’s for quite a while. I can’t say that Dave has stood out as much to me, but it does seem like he’s been gaining some traction with his career as of lately. Franco doesn’t just deliver an incredible performance here. He gives one of the best performances of the year. The film does focus on him more than Brie and there’s a reason to it. With Franco & Brie’s established chemistry, you can not only feel that love they have for each other, but witness how much more comfortable they are with each other to bring out their performances.

As for the body horror element itself, I was actually surprised by how more tamed and creative it was. Watching body horror can also give me anxiety. I didn’t feel that here. While there may some common tropes, the direction the film goes in is still unpredictable, which makes certain events even more shocking. There are visceral scenes here that feel like they have been seared into my brain. Between the trailers and images, I do wish the film would have held back on some of what happens. I think the film could have been better had it not revealed what would eventually happens to these characters and instead build mystery.

The way the film utilizes its effects show that they have used it to the fullest extent. While practical is always better in my eyes, the film manages to use the CGI to help pull off what happens throughout the film. The film showcases some of the best use of CGI I have seen in a movie this year. Given its short runtime, however, it may leave viewers wanting more.

Even with its rather short runtime, the film never wastes a single moment, maybe other than the beginning. While some characterization choices are questionable, the chemistry the two leads already has allows you to fully get on board with what’s happening. Most horror movies tend to have a lot of build up and then have a grand finale. The film has some sense of a grand finale before it subverts expectations to deliver something meaningful in the end.

Throughout the film, you see this real-life married couple struggle. The film represents what love looks like. Even when things get tough, it’s all about not wanting to spend that time with anyone else. For a body horror, I was surprised by how moved I was with the film. It’s about acceptance with what’s meant to be and choosing the right person to be with during it. That’s all I will say without getting into any spoilers. It’s best to go into this movie knowing nothing at all. Just don’t let the body horror aspect scare you into not watching it.

Overall, I found Together to be creative & moving. It doesn’t lean as much into body horror than I thought it would be. The performances are authentic and radiate chemistry. There are some questionable writing decisions and the marketing could have held back more on what happens. In the end, this was still a great time that is definitely worth checking out.

VERDICT: 3.5/5 (Pretty Good)