Although Alison Brie and husband Dave Franco have shared the screen in the past, they really dig into each other with some sexy, if honest and funny, performances in writer-director Michael Shanks’ feature film debut, which seamlessly blends body horror and comedy. Romance. .
together It stars real-life couple as Millie and Tim, who move from bustling city life to a quaint house in the country after Millie gets a job teaching at a local elementary school. After a journey in which they stumble upon a cave with a mysterious water source, they find themselves inexplicably drawn to each other.
As they bid farewell to their group’s friends at a farewell party, it quickly becomes clear that the pair are growing apart as Tim suffers a personal crisis over sacrificing his dreams to allow Millie to chase hers.
When Tim hesitates to say yes to her proposal in front of everyone he knows, they consider breaking up, as Millie notes “It’ll be harder later,” an idea that becomes too literal as their unexplained situation progresses throughout the black comedy.
Shanks deftly paces the story through several bits of allusion, including the Rat King as a symbol of toxic codependency, mirroring a harrowing story Tim tells Millie about his father’s death and his mother’s mental health. It is the fate he fears for himself, as their new home stirs up painful memories.
Meanwhile, an ominous dialogue highlights the supernatural origins of the water source, a reference to Plato’s theory. seminar. The Socratic Dialogue presents a story about an ancient race of dual-bodied people who were cut in half by Zeus, doomed forever to wander the earth in search of their other halves.
Shanks also has some fun with a perfectly timed Spice Girls song that sums up the film, while recalling a beautiful moment in the couple’s love story.
While the film is full of jump scares and body horror — largely conceived with practical effects — the tone is matched by Brie and Franco’s undeniable comedic synchronicity. Meanwhile, their emotional connection is on full display as their characters take them through a spectrum of love, need, and loyalty, which can be both optimistic and strangely endearing at times.
A worthy follow-up to Franco’s 2020 directorial debut Rentwhich stars Brie in a chilling horror thriller about a vacation gone wrong, the pair are at their best when they draw on their chemistry and history to bring Shanks’ dark romance to life.
Producers are Alison Brie, Dave Franco, Mike Cobb, Andrew Mittman, Eric Feige and Max Silva.
address: together
distributor: WME
exit: Michael Shanks
screenwriter: Michael Shanks
ejaculate: Dave Franco, Alison Brie, and Damon Herriman
Operating time: 1 hour and 42 minutes
