Uncut Diamonds

Horror thrives on creepiness; the more skin-crawling, the better. This ability to evoke visceral fear keeps audiences returning, whether they’re subconsciously confronting primal anxieties or simply indulging in voyeuristic nightmares. Among horror’s most unsettling offerings is body horror, a subgenre featuring corporeal grotesqueries that violate our physical boundaries. Films like “The Autopsy of Jane Doe,” “The Fly,” “The Human Centipede,” “Malignant,” and “The Substance” exemplify this tradition, often requiring viewers to possess iron stomachs. Yet shock value alone doesn’t sustain interest—it might hook audiences initially but won’t keep them engaged. When Together was recommended as the latest body horror release, selecting it for a night’s viewing seemed obvious. Whether it deserved that attention is another question entirely.

The Price of Closeness: Love, Horror, and Cultish Schemes

At its core, together revolves around a couple navigating significant life changes. Their relationship faces strain when they relocate for the female protagonist’s new teaching position. Despite their evident deep connection, underlying tensions suggest impending difficulties. Like all major transitions, this move tests their relationship’s resilience. However, their bond faces more than ordinary challenges when they encounter a mysterious supernatural substance—an otherworldly adhesive with horrifying properties. While the woman yearns for genuine closeness, the substance enforces a grotesque, literal togetherness. What initially appears to be an unfortunate discovery soon reveals itself as part of an elaborate scheme orchestrated by a sinister cult.

Together: The Grounding

The film’s originality shines through its clever conceptual foundation. By twisting Plato’s Symposium, the ancient philosophical text on love—into the cult’s deranged ideology, the filmmakers create antagonists with disturbing yet intellectually grounded motivations. This philosophical backbone elevates what could have been a simple horror premise into something more thought-provoking. The lead actors, a real-life couple, bring natural chemistry that heightens the tragedy of their predicament. Perhaps most impressive is the visual execution of the “binding” effects. prosthetics and makeup work create a nauseating verisimilitude that makes the horror authentically visceral.

 A Little Frayed

Despite its strengths, Together stumbles in several key moments. The pit sequence particularly stands out as problematic—when the couple falls into what’s presented as an inescapable trap, their initial panic feels authentic. Yet mysteriously, by the next day, their desperation has vanished without explanation, and their eventual escape unfolds with anticlimactic ease. The film’s conclusion proves equally disappointing. Rather than delivering the thoughtful resolution its philosophical underpinnings deserve, the ending feels hastily assembled and tonally inconsistent with everything that preceded it. A more ambiguous or darker finale might have better honored the film’s conceptual ambitions.

Balancing Philosophy and Gore: The Verdict on “Together”

As a fusion of body horror, drama, and romance, “Together” delivers a solid, if imperfect, viewing experience. The film’s philosophical foundation provides a compelling launchpad, while the cast’s performances effectively shoulder the narrative burden. However, the rushed conclusion feels disconnected from the film’s otherwise thoughtful trajectory. Despite these shortcomings, “Together” remains an intriguing entry in the body horror canon that delivers the requisite squirm-inducing moments without becoming unwatchable. Curious viewers can currently find the film on various Video On Demand platforms.