\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.tcocdn.com\/tco\/images\/Together-2025-courtesy-of-Neon.jpg\")
<\/p>\n [ad_1]
\n<\/p>\n
When David Cronenberg wrote The Brood<\/i> in the late 1970<\/span>s, the body horror maestro was going through an acrimonious divorce and custody battle. It\u2019s a\u00a0deeply personal film full of rage which manifests as a\u00a0gross intertwining of the physical and psychological. It\u2019s a\u00a0hugely influential horror in its depiction of relationships and the anxieties that come with connecting yourself to another human being. Australian writer-director Michael Shanks takes a\u00a0similar personal and icky approach to the subject of co-dependency as Alison Brie and Dave Franco (who are together<\/i> in real life) star as a\u00a0couple with major issues.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tim (Franco) is an out of work musician who just can\u2019t seem to get his big break. He\u2019s also grieving the recent death of his parents in nightmarish circumstances. Millie (Brie) has just been offered a\u00a0teaching opportunity in the country, so they say goodbye to their life in the city and take the plunge. From then, it\u2019s just the two of them. After a\u00a0hike to the woods, where they spend a\u00a0night in an abandoned cave, things take a\u00a0weird turn. A\u00a0mysterious goo literally bonds them together at the legs and, even though they manage to tear their skin apart, a\u00a0strange force keeps drawing them back to one another in the most uncomfortable, violent and embarrassing ways.<\/p>\n Shanks uses a\u00a0combination of practical and visual effects to bring the couple\u2019s fears to life, but also in the creation of a\u00a0large organism that brings to mind Ridley Scott\u2019s Alien<\/i>, John Carpenter\u2019s The Thing <\/i>and more recently Amat Escalante\u2019s The Untamed<\/i>. The filmmaker throws a\u00a0few too many recognisable horror nods into the mix but develops his own lore when it comes to the unfolding mysteries. Fellow teacher Jamie (Damon Herriman) quotes Plato and speaks about soulmates with Millie when she\u2019s going through a\u00a0hard time with Tim and it all feeds neatly into the finale, even if the metaphor becomes slightly strained.<\/p>\n Brie and Franco are predictably great in their roles, fully embracing the physicality of the performances and a\u00a0willingness to go to some unexpected and painful-looking places. What really works in the film\u2019s favour is that it\u2019s not just an angry back and forth between the two; there\u2019s a\u00a0brilliantly written dark humour that plays out in their interactions. Both actors relish in the comedy with some superbly pitched line delivery. Shanks toys with the jump scare and passive-aggressive conversations in hilarious ways and delivers a\u00a0perfect needle drop with a\u00a0Spice Girls song. It\u2019s a\u00a0shame Together<\/i> doesn\u2019t lean into the humour more, as that\u2019s what really sets it apart from other disturbing body horror with similar DNA<\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nGet more Little White\u00a0Lies<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n