Reel Review From SXSW 2025: Together is a Captivating and Twisted Body Horror About Love and Relationships
After leaving their full life in the city, couple Tim (Dave Franco) and Millie (Alison Brie) move to the countryside for a quieter way of living. While exploring their new home, the two fall into a suspicious cave that leads to a supernatural encounter that changes their lives, love, and flesh.
After hearing so much hype around this film at Sundance, I couldn’t miss a screening at SXSW. Neon hooked me up with some late night tickets to the final screening, and I cannot thank them enough for the early watch. I’m not a huge horror person myself, but the cast and reactions sold me. This movie is an absolute wild ride that will have you laughing, cringing, and covering your eyes. Beware though, if you see this with a significant other, it may spark some uncomfortable conversations.
Tim is an aspiring musician who hasn’t gotten his big break and lacks a bit of drive and motivation. Millie is a teacher who loves what she does but wants a better connection to her partner as they’ve grown distant and a bit complacent. Being in this new home and area should be the perfect set up to reconnect, but quickly after moving into their new home, the two seem more separated than ever.
Encouraged by her coworker and neighbor (Damon Herriman), Millie and Tim go on a hike around their new home. Going off trail a bit, Tim follows some interestingly patterned lanterns through the rainy forest. In a turn of events, the two fall into a cave that used to be a church occupied by a local cult. As the sun starts to set and the rain refusing to let up, the two decide to sleep there and venture home in the morning. Being a gentleman, Tim offers Millie the rest of their water while he drinks from the pool in the cave. The two head to sleep but when they wake, their legs seem to be stuck together. Painfully they pull apart, but are caught off guard by the encounter.
After that evening, the two feel more drawn to one another than ever. Strange physical interactions keep occurring, making them question if there’s more going on than just romantic tension. They come to realize that their neighbor is a part of the cult who occupied the church that descended into the cave. This supernatural cult’s main pillar is to bring couples closer together, physically and emotionally. Tim and Millie try to fight the drawing connection but are unsure how to survive without one another.
Together is a gut churning body horror fun time. Franco and Brie’s real life connection offers an added layer to these characters making them feel so real and lived in. While they aren’t identical to the couple’s dynamic in real life, it is an interesting thing to see play out on screen. There are a few moments where I had to cover my eyes or gasped at what I was seeing. This movie isn’t like anything you’ve ever seen before and will have you testing your personal dedication to your partner.
Together hits theaters this August.
