No. 014 - 'Together' by Michael Shanks (2025)

Watched by Matthew Donlan at Dendy

I live a mostly solitary life. I was raised an only-child; I rarely needed to share my Danish-designed interlocking plastic block sets. In adulthood I’ve been mostly single (because I’ve just been so busy of course haha). And, while living in share-housing, I long for the weekends my housemate is away granting me domain of this cramped Inner-West cube. So the thought of being physically enmeshed with another person is truly a horror movie.

Australian writer-director Michael Shanks, in his debut feature Together, brings the touch-sensitive’s nightmare to life. Tim (Dave Franco) and Millie (Alison Brie), a long-term couple, move from their generic city apartment to the generic countryside for Millie’s new job at a school. While on a hike discovering their new surroundings, the pair fall into a cave, drink some cave water and then things get a little spooky - their bodies become drawn to each other and fused (in the titular way) together.

Shanks (or timtimfed on YouTube) previously wrote and directed the blended live-action/stop-motion short film Rebooted about a skeleton losing acting jobs to VFX, and the comedy web-series The Wizards of Aus, about a wizard who moves to Melbourne. Like these previous works, Together leans on set-piece visual effects and humour to keep the audience engaged. Without these it would be a fairly traditional (and somewhat weak) horror narrative.

Thematically, the film’s premise has the potential to explore how codependency manifests in the modern world, how familial trauma acts as a barrier to vulnerability and how individuality can still emerge in long-term relationships. Unfortunately, the film only skims these ideas. It feels as if Shanks designed the gory set pieces first then built a narrative serviceable enough to transport us along. This narrative is one of tropes; the memory of dead parents haunts the protagonist, a couple move from city comforts to a strange small town, the seemingly-friendly neighbour is more than they appear and the classic one, a weird cult with unexplained origins or intentions.

The film is also held back by its lack of specificity in location. I can only speculate, but I assume the fact it was co-produced across Australia and the US meant that an ambiguous location was thought to be easier for marketing. Perhaps Americans don’t mind the appearance of the V/Line, Australian supporting actors and the very Aussie bush setting in their ‘vague American small-town’. While sometimes this geographic ambiguity can serve a story well, in this case it restricts the potential avenues of detail which could have lifted the narrative. For example, comparing remote Australian and American towns, the differing sense of community and history would integrate with the cult element of the final act differently. By not placing it within a specific place, the film stands on uncertain ground.

Shanks’s comfort area lies within the audience’s discomfort in this reviewer. It’s also a very funny film. Much funnier than we’ve come to expect from horror. The humour, interestingly, does not serve as a tension release but will often explode on the screen during the most climactic moments. The jokes make sense within the logic of the situation yet appear so unexpectedly that their punchline is strengthened.

Despite some imperfections, Together is a decent debut for Shanks in this new era of Australian horror. His eye for action and humour paired with a more proficient writer’s sense of story would ensure greater success in this genre.

Together is screening in most cinemas in Sydney from today. Check the guide below for more details.

Fleapit Pick of the Week

Greg Sestero, co-star of the best worst film ever, The Room, will be attending a special Q+A event, screening of the film and exclusive preview screening of The Room Returns! starring Bob Odenkirk. Pack your spoons and head up to the Hayden Orpheum for a fun night!

Screenings: Thursday 31 July - Wednesday 06 August

Cinema Astragale
The Parallel Street (1962, Ferdinand Khittl)
Thursday

Kino Sydney
Kino Western Sydney - Parramatta
Wednesday

Mechanics Cinema
Meetings with Remarkable Men (1979, Peter Brook)
Friday

Waverley Library Bad Movie Club
Miami Connection (1987, Park Woo-Sang & Y.K. Kim)
Friday

Scandinavian Film Festival | 17 July - 10 August
Sentimental Value (2025, Joachim Trier)
Sunday

Hayden Orpheum | selected highlights
Together (2025, Michael Shanks)
Daily

The Room (2003, Tommy Wiseau)
Q+A w/ Greg Sestero
Friday

Akira (1988, Katsuhiro Otomo)
4K Restoration
Saturday

Golden Age Cinema | selected highlights
A Nice Indian Boy (2025, Roshan Sethi)
Thursday & Sunday

Suspiria (1977, Dario Argento)
Saturday

Holy Cow (2024, Louise Courvoisier)
Saturday

In The Mood For Love (2000, Wong Kar-wai)
25th Anniversary
Friday, Sunday, Monday & Wednesday

Ritz Cinemas, Randwick | selected highlights
Together (2025, Michael Shanks)
Daily

The Life of Chuck (2024, Mike Flanagan)
Preview Event
Thursday

The Wolves Always Come At Night (2024, Gabrielle Brady)
Thursday, Friday, Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday

Robert Altman Retrospective (link)
Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982, Robert Altman)
Thursday

Cult Classics (link)
Tampopo (1985, Juzo Itami)
Saturday & Monday

Celluloid Film (link)
Blue Velvet (1986, David Lynch)
Friday

Classic Matinees (link)
Rebel Without A Cause (1955, Nicholas Ray)
Saturday & Monday

Make It Musical (link)
The Last Waltz (1978, Martin Scorsese)
Sunday & Wednesday

Meet Cute (link)
Splash (1984, Ron Howard)
Tuesday

Dendy Newtown | selected highlights
Together (2025, Michael Shanks)
Daily

Bring Her Back (2025, Danny & Michael Philippou)
Daily

The Life of Chuck (2024, Mike Flanagan)
Club Preview
Friday

The Wicker Man (1973, Robin Hardy)
4K Restoration
Friday

Celluloid Dreams (link)
Speed (1994, Jan de Bont)
Thursday

Night Shift (link)
Inland Empire (2006, David Lynch)
Daily

Palace Cinemas | selected highlights
Together (2025, Michael Shanks)
Daily

The Life of Chuck (2024, Mike Flanagan)
Fine Wine Preview
Thursday

NYTimes Top 10 Films of the 21st Century (link)
The Social Network (2010, David Fincher)
Saturday

Spirited Away (2001, Hayao Miyazaki)
Sunday

Cult Vault (link)
Batman Forever (1995, Joel Schumacher)
Monday

Matinee Memories (link)
Gigi (1958, Vincenti Minnelli)
Saturday

Art Gallery of NSW
Film Series - A Short History of the French New Wave
Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962, Agnes Varda)
Sunday

Chronicle of a Summer (1961, Jean Rouch & Edgar Morin)
Wednesday