Together (MA) – 102 minutes

The mysterious and the unnatural collide with devastating consequences in the psychological body horror Together.

Tim (Dave Franco) is 35 – a largely out of work musician who doesn’t drive.

Millie (Alison Brie), a teacher is the steady one in their relationship.

They have been together for almost a decade and although they haven’t always been on the same page, they love each other.

Moving to a small country town where Millie has found a new teaching job, their compatibility will be sorely tested.

Soon after they arrive, something very strange happens.

While taking a walk in bushland, it starts to rain heavily and they have no idea how to find their way back.

Then, Tim loses his footing and slips into a deep cave.

As Millie tries to lend a helping hand, she too is pulled in.

As if that isn’t bad enough, after Tim drinks from a pool at the foot of the cave, he begins to hallucinate.

Then, things go from bad to worse as he quickly loses control of his body.

There is no explanation as to what is going wrong, but soon enough Millie too experiences similar difficulties. 

The most unusual phenomenon is that the pair is drawn to one another like magnets … to the point where they become all but glued together.

But how can this be happening and why?

A local couple previously went missing in the same area and were never found.

The fate of two dogs had been sealed by drinking from the same pool Tim had.

Together is decidedly creepy and bizarre. It pushes the envelope and then some.

The man behind it is Melbourne-based writer and director Michael Shanks.

It takes the concept of co-dependency and subverts it to chilling effect.

He gives us special effects that I haven’t seen before. I applaud the originality.

The fact that real life husband and wife Franco and Brie feature in it adds a level of authenticity.

Franco has a sense of naturalism about him. A big part of that has to do with the disturbed expressions he maintains throughout the production.

Brie comes across as the pragmatist who suddenly realises something is decidedly askew.

There appears to be no way out.

Rated MA, Together sets out to rattle the mind and succeeds in doing so.

It scores a 7½ out of 10.