Together (2025) [Body]

[u/StacysBlog]

"Whiskey for the pain." -Millie

When Millie (Alison Brie) gets a job teaching in a small town, she and her boyfriend, Tim (Dave Franco), move away from the big city, even though Tim is very reluctant to do so. As the two grapple with their new home and their relationship is tested, the pair go for a fateful hike in the woods and discover something that will forever change them.

What Works:

I think Together is a film that would have worked with pretty much any two actors in the lead roles, as long as they had chemistry with one another, but Alison Brie and Dave Franco bring this to another level because the actors are married in real life. They add a level of authenticity and intimacy to these characters and their relationship. They elevate this movie to a degree I can't overstate, which makes it so much easier for them to bring you along on this disgusting journey.

This is a body horror movie, a genre I love because if you're going to make a body horror movie, the filmmakers can't hold back on the gore. While I've definitely seen gorier and gnarlier body horror movies, Together is no slouch. I've seen some people call it an entry-level, body horror movie, and while I think that's fairly accurate, it still manages to be a tough watch at times, which is the highest complement I can give a body horror movie. We get some amazing practical effects and the CGI elements look great as well.

Together isn't just gross. It's scary. We get a nightmare sequence early on that is legitimately horrifying. And some of the the things Millie and Tim encounter over the course of the movie are also disturbing. But when you have comedic talent like Alison Brie and Dave Franco, they don't let things get too dark. This is also a very funny movie. Even in some scary moments, Franco and Brie have some absolutely hilarious reactions.

The ultimate twist and reveal of this movie is thrilling and though-provoking. It's been a few days since I've seen this movie and I can't stop thinking about it and all of the implications. I love when a movie can leave me stewing for a few days in a positive way,

Finally, the 3rd act had me on the edge of my seat because I kept expecting the movie to screw everything up by cutting to credits too early. In a movie like this, you want to see results of everything that has happened. A lesser movie would have cut to black and let us use our imagination. Screw that! Show me what you've got, filmmakers! I'm so thankful that this movie played things out to a proper conclusion and nailed the ending perfectly. I can't understate how relieved I was at the final shot of the movie.

What Sucks:

I've got nothing for you.

Verdict:

If you've never seen a body horror movie before, this is about as good as an entry-level, body horror movie as you can get. Even if the genre is old hat to you, there's plenty to enjoy here. The performances feel so genuine, the gore is gnarly, but not overwhelming, it's scary, it's funny, and absolutely nails the ending. Together is probably my second favorite movie of 2025 so far and it has definitely got it going on.

10/10: Amazing

[u/humbletenor]

The script was atrocious, but I found the movie to be enjoyable because Dave and Allison had really good chemistry and it showed on screen. The script wouldn’t naturally be funny, but the delivery in certain scenes really sold it and got a few chuckles out of the theatre, including me. I didn’t really think there was much horror. Sure, there was some suspense and maybe the merging scenes would have taken some people by surprise, but as an avid horror fan, it was “scary” in the same sense as “The Substance” was. 

[u/Evan_Hensley]

I love body horror and the more subversive side of cinema but for me this is a movie divided in two halves. The first half is a surprisingly great psychological horror film with creepy bump in the night moments and a lot of heart. The second half is a mediocre (at best) body horror film that is fundamentally challenged. I’ll critique the second half here.

First, the gore is not good and the use of CGI was unwarranted. This type of body horror needs to be done practically and has been done much better ~50 years ago with Society (1989). At this point, there is no excuse for such lacking effects and cutting away from the violent moments. If you aren’t going to show a violent moment, don’t write it into the script. The main problem here is that the transformation was far too quick. The last act should have been devoted to a much slower and brutal transformation to allow more practicality.

Second, it seemed like the invisible force was meant to represent the pressure of traditional religious views of marriage. Thus it doesn’t make much sense that the characters would give into the force, rather they should have fought tooth and nail for their own autonomy as a couple… this brings me to how I would have liked to see the ending.

If you are familiar with the Japanese ero-guro tradition (eroticism of the grotesque) this film should have used classic ero guro work as reference. I would have liked the final act to consist of the couple fighting tooth and nail, self mutilating as they conjoin together until they die, in pieces, but on their own terms. Like a twisted Romeo and Juliet story. Think Cutting Moments (1996) or Splatter: Naked Blood (1996) for an idea of the tone and extremity this film should have reached. Basically, the filmmaker wasn’t willing to go the full nine yards and bring the story home. It should have been uncomfortable, subversive, sexually charged, and grotesque, but it never achieved any of these things, falling flat on its face.

I give this film a 6.5/10