Together - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Together



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



AV NIRVANA is member and reader-supported. When you purchase an item using our links, we might earn an affiliate commission.
​

Movie
Very rarely do I find a movie that I’m genuinely conflicted about. I mean, I’ve been watching horror movies for over 30 years, and have garnered quite the eclectic taste for the many various takes on the genre, but I’m almost never CONFLICTED about liking/disliking one of them. Usually they fall into 3 distinct categories up and down the spectrum. First being that I hated it (not surprisingly the majority of the genre. There’s a lot of garbage midst the gems), I loved the film, or I’m completely ambivalent over a movie. But very VERY rarely do I sit in my chair after a viewing just musing on what I watched, and trying to decide whether I loved it, or should hate it. Well, that was the very unique experience watching Dr. Daniel Jackson….errr….Michael Shanks first time directing and writing a feature film.

10 years into their relationship Tim and Millie (real life married actors Dave Franco and Alison Brie) are sort of struggling. The couple haven’t been intimate in ages, and the two have decided to move out to small town Fulton, Washington, in an effort to save their relationship. Millie has accepted a teaching role at the local elementary school, and Tim is doing his best to try and stay out of a depressive state. But not long after moving to Fulton the couple finds that they have taken their problems with them.

Hoping to reconnect and light the fire back in their relationship, the couple head out into the Washington forest on an impromptu hike that backfires on them. Stumbling into an abandoned cave during a rainstorm, the couple finds themselves stuck beside a dark and foreboding pool that gives off some strange vibes. But whatever, this is reality and the two soon put the creepy environment out of their minds. But the next day things start to happen to them that push the boundaries of explainable science. At first it’s just the two of them seemingly stuck together, but as time goes on it becomes obvious that something dark and malevolent is at work. The two seem drawn to each other in a way that defies logic. As if their entire body and souls are magnetically pulled towards each other. And no matter how hard they try. No matter how hard they pull away, what happened has happened, and there seems like there is no way to avoid the inevitable.

I’m not going to spoil the ending for you, but I have never had such an about face in a movie MULTIPLE times. Michael Shanks does an interesting job weaving together a story that has boring bits, but also an incredibly unique and fresh idea for a body horror. Two people in love who are trying to stay apart, while a supernatural force is intent on smooshing them together….quite literally in fact. The first act of the film plays out a bit blandly, with Tim and Millie moping around trying to respark their relationship. And even when the horror aspect of the film starts up with Tim going into a near psychosis trying resist the magnetic pull, it’s still not perfect, but getting interesting. But it’s the final act that throws a monkey wrench into the entire narrative and had me sit up right in my chair and take note.

On one hand there’s huge gaps in explanatory logic, such as why the underground cave/church did what it did. And why the couple who got lost in the woods turned out like they do. Damon Herriman’s character (who will forever be Dewey Crowe in my mind) sort of gives us a glimpse into why, but it’s left up to your imagination to guess why. I’m not against not spelling everything out, but it really felt like there should have been more meat on the bones in terms of explanation to really lock it into place. But on the other hand, the Shanks infused some new life into the horror genre with what I can only describe as an entirely new take on body horror. It’s not often that I can say that we have fresh ideas in the horror genre, and frankly, I liked the concept a LOT. Those first two acts are pretty decent, but it’s really the 3rd and final act where I started to actually enjoy the film a lot more than I had been. The overarching plot points in the story can be taken allegorically, relating to depression, anxiety, and general malaise in people’s relationships. And I thought I knew exactly where things were going until the final 15 minutes, where Shanks changes gears and the movie shifts from a terrifying horror flick into something actually rather sweet (if not a bit macabre). Part of me wanted to poo-poo it for not being a traditional horror ending, but honestly, I think that’s for the best. It’s really more of a factor that this wasn’t ACTUALLY a horror movie, but a film about personal growth and inner peace disguised as one. I completely understand why this might not be everyone’s horror cup of tea, but I give Michael Shanks serious props for intertwining the various themes and genres throughout the overarching body horror framework and creating something rather inventive. It’s not a perfect movie (ironically it’s the fist couple acts that are rather bland, with a great final act. Usually in the horror genre its the other way around), but I actually find that the more time I spend ruminating on it, the more I enjoyed what I saw.




Rating:

Rated R for violent/disturbing content, sexual content, graphic nudity, language and brief drug content.





Video:

The Blu-ray image is more than satisfactory, with a dirty and grunge laden visual aesthetic that relies on dark lighting and odd color hues to create an uneasy environment. The cave/church where things start is deep and dreary, with near crushed blacks that really stand out as oppressive. But outdoor shots seem overly brightened and blown out a bit, especially when Tim is having his “psychotic episodes”. Colors appear natural overall, but the bend towards shadows and dim lighting give everything a very somber feel. Skin tones and clarity look solid, but not spectacular, but allows every close up shot to reveal some stunning intimate detail levels (especially in faces and clothing).









Audio:

The lone 5.1 DTS-HD MA track does the job well, with good dynamic range and nice clarity all the way around. The oppressive feeling score does a great job at pressing in all around the listening position, and vocals are cleanly replicated up in the front of the room. Subwoofer activity is strong, working closely with the rest of the track to add some weight in some scenes, while subtly hovering around the edges in more subdued shots (we get some intense bass when Tim is having his freak outs, as well as in the cave itself a few times). Once again, its not a show stopper of a track, but definitely a solid mix all the way around.









Extras:

• Interview with writer/director Michael Shanks
• Interview with Dave Franco and Alison Brie
• Alison Brie and Dave Franco’s Codependency Quiz
• Trailers

Final Score:

​

Together is an interesting first attempt by long time actor Michael Shanks to craft one of the more unique body horror films that I’ve seen in recent years. I’m not going to pretend that it is something magical that defies boundaries, but I thoroughly enjoyed the fresh take on a tired sub genre, and the direction he went in that final act. Decal Rising’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds good, and while I would love to see the 4K, said Blu-ray is nothing to sneeze at. There’s even a modicum of extras on board as well that digs into things a bit more, and explains what Shanks was attempting here. I’m torn on whether to recommend it or not, but I think long time horror fans, or those who enjoy supernatural thrillers should at least take a look at it.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Damon Herriman, Mia Morrissey
Directed by: Michael Shanks
Written by: Michael Shanks
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DD 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Studio: Decal Releasing
Rated: R
Runtime: 102 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: November 11th, 2025

Recommendation: Interesting Watch

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

​