Loving your significant other means you would do anything for them, correct? Such as finding and cleaning the source of a mysterious, rotting smell or not getting angry with one another after getting lost in an unexpected thunderstorm. 

Some couples may respond to these circumstances with a sense of calm teamwork, while others bicker and let tension boil over. At the end of the day, however, they still say “I love you.”

But would you saw your limbs apart from one another, all in the name of love?

In “Together”, starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie, audiences follow the complex relationship of Tim and Millie, played by Franco and Brie respectively, as they move to a small, isolated town in the woods of Washington state after living in the city for their nearly decade-long relationship. Tension and resentment fester in the cracks of their relationships as they are made to confront unimaginable forces together. 

The first glimpse into their relationship shows Tim’s greatest fear: commitment. 

With ambition for the future and a traumatic upbringing, Tim is not ready to settle down just yet. As a 35-year-old aspiring musician, he has dreams destined for the big city. 

During the going-away party before their move to Washington, Millie proposes to Tim in front of friends and family, more than ready to commit her life to him. Tim, however, accepts that the proposal is a painstaking and uncomfortably slow agreement.

Once they move to their charming but secluded home, the film jumps into a bone-chilling plot concept of Plato’s theory of halves. He theorized that humans were created with four arms, four legs, and two faces, only to be split in half by the Greek god Zeus, leaving humans to spend their lives searching for their other half. 

After falling into an underground cave, Tim and Millie discover what looks to be a sunken church with pillars formed into the walls and metal bells with sun-like sigils hanging from every corner. After Tim decides to drink the water from a questionable natural spring within the cave, the forceful nature of their surroundings takes charge.

Throughout this film, I squirmed, laughed and covered my eyes as the use of CGI created grossly unimaginable sights perfect for a body horror film. With a 90% Rotten Tomatoes score after its first week in theaters, many critics had positive remarks.

“​​Even with all the physical warping and fusing — and the extreme measures the couple ultimately undertake to free themselves from it — it’s the emotional dysfunction, as perfectly performed by Franco and Brie, that truly makes TOGETHER land,” said Michael Gringold from Rue Morgue Magazine. 

While “Together” garnered a great deal of love from many, there was room for improvement as stated by some critics.

Alison Wilmore from New York Magazine and Vulture said, “Brie and Franco, in providing nuance and texture to Millie and Tim, may actually have worked against a film that would be better off allowing its characters to be in an unhealthy relationship from the beginning… rather than just a flubbed allegory.” 

Overall, it was an innovative piece that pushed the box of traditional critiques on romance and relationships within horror. 

Neither Tim nor Millie was created to be heroes. Their personal and relationship insecurities fueled the narrative that an imperfect couple is bound to make mistakes, even when their lives depend on it. 

Yet their need and desire for one another are undeniable, with neither knowing what they would do without the other. Their decade-long relationship adds to the film’s loss-of-self theme. Just as viewers may not be able to imagine how these characters would function without the other, Tim and Millie could not either. 

Some plot points early on in the film were predictable, but it never took away from the overall enjoyment. Audiences were roped in throughout the film as there was a continuous flow of unnerving information revealed, either about Tim and Millie’s surroundings or their relationship. 

The use of color created an additional layer for audiences to dissect. Blue lighting indicated clarity or the increase of knowledge. Pink and or red highlighted when action or danger was near, while yellow and gold indicated safety. 

It is not often that the slasher or body horror genre has me tearing my eyes away from the screen, but “Together” made it instinctual. This thrilling, spine-tingling film was wonderfully executed by real-life married couple Franco and Brie and is a film I would be happy to revisit. 

With details viewers may have missed during an initial watch, the plot pushes audiences to analyze not only the sci-fi and cult-like elements placed throughout the film, but the subtle — and sometimes obvious — dysfunctional cues between Tim and Millie. 

I would highly recommend catching this movie in theatres and perhaps with your significant other. As for me, I’ll be sure to watch it again, but maybe next time from the comfort of my couch.