‘Together’ review: The only one for me is you, and you for me

The idea of maintaining one’s individuality while in a relationship or losing that sense of identity altogether and melding as a couple is taken to a hilarious, grotesque high in “Together,” a trippy body horror freakout that brings new meaning to the concept of being clingy.

Real-life couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie – they’ve been married since 2017 – star as Tim and Millie, who have been dating for a long time but have grown complacent within their relationship. She has a new job teaching, he’s still chasing his faded dreams of playing in bands. They move out of the city and into the countryside when she lands a promising job at a new school.

His quiet frustrations with being emasculated by her increase exponentially when she drops to one knee and proposes to him at their going-away party. His cringe-inducing lack of an answer – he eventually says “yes,” but the damage has already been done – is just one of the many skin-crawling moments in writer-director Michael Shanks’ horror nightmare.

The psychological aspects of Shanks’ script, exploring the relationship between Tim and Millie (as well as Tim’s jealousy over Millie’s co-worker Jamie, played by Damon Herriman), are just as potent as the eventual literalizing of their fears. But then the film ratchets up the body horror experimentation after a hike in the woods leads to a drink from a secret well. The film some of the film’s plotting could use a spit shine – and eventually out come the power tools, along with a priceless needle drop from a certain ‘90s Girl Power quintet.

“Together” isn’t as gnarly – or as deliriously fun – as last year’s “The Substance,” which swam in similar waters. But it takes some serious relationship issues and opens them up for discussion in amusingly grisly ways. See it with someone you’re really close to.