TOGETHER

***

Directed by Michael Shanks.

Starring Alison Brie, Dave Franco, Damon Herriman.

Horror, US, 102 Minutes, Certificate 15.

Released in cinemas across UK on 15th August by Entertainment Film Distributors

One of the year's most engaging relationship dramas also happens to be a mixture of body and cosmic horror, causing the viewer to squirm with expertly realised scenes of a relationship in decline alongside gruelling visions of flesh, bone and other soft parts of the human body sticking and melding together in various gnarly and unsettling ways. This mixture of genres could perhaps be seen as ill-fitting and unnatural, but it also matches the nightmarish and surreal body-melding that long-term partners Millie and Tim find themselves suffering through, along with the multiple unspoken grievances that threaten to erupt between them after years…TOGETHER…hey, that’s the name of the movie!

Played by real life couple Alison Brie and Dave Franco, Millie and Tim come across onscreen in an entirely convincing fashion. Along with their love for each other there is also a long simmering resentment, mostly on Tim’s part at their long distance move to the country for Millie’s new teaching job. After several unsuccessful attempts to break into the music industry, Tim sees this as just another obstacle in the way of his own dreams. When Millie’s sweet offer of a proposal is dealt with in a skin-crawlingly awkward fashion, the move should act as a reset for the both of them. However after literally stumbling into a deep cave while exploring their new surroundings, the couple soon find themselves unable to physically stay apart from each other, resulting in a series of horrifying and often painful incidents that bring them closer and closer to each other in a nightmarish fashion.

First time feature director Michael Shanks, working from his own script, which faces plagiarism accusations from the writer of an unproduced romantic comedy, expertly realises the foibles and pitfalls of long term relationships. How much extra dimension has been added by Franco and Brie to what was on the page however, should not be underestimated. There are just as many petty remarks, both made knowingly and unknowingly, as well as loving gestures between the two actors that ring true in an utterly convincing fashion. Examples of love, lust, jealousy, anger and worry at and over each other ring true throughout the film in a convincing fashion just as well as the likes of more highbrow fare like Richard Linklater’s BEFORE trilogy and Noah Baumbach’s MARRIAGE STORY. Pleasingly there is also a streak of black humour that is reminiscent of Stuart Gordon’s humorous take on Lovecraftian tropes and Brian Yuzna-esque wickedness with several scenes providing an ick factor that is more than reminiscent of his SOCIETY. A case could also be made for a striking similarity between scenes here and director Clark Baker’s TEST SCREENING, which played at last year's FrightFest.

While the film's originality may be called into question, this is still a highly entertaining slice of horror that may ring true with several couples. Simultaneously, carefree horror fans will find much to enjoy in Millie and Tim’s deeply uncomfortable physical situation. For all its eye wincing body-horror imagery, TOGETHER is as funny as it is heartbreaking, and makes for a fun and satisfying night out at the cinema. Although it might make for a bit of an awkward date night movie for some long-term partners out there. At least you’re getting out though!

Iain MacLeod