'Together' review: Uneven, but inventive horror film offers convincing portrayal of millennials adrift

Getting hitched, tying the knot, taking the plunge — the metaphors we use for marriage often have an ominous ring. Writer-director Michael Shanks has come up with his own extended metaphor in "Together," starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie (who are married in real life) as a young couple whose relationship is under strain. "Together" might be the first horror film to put a face — and a ghastly one — on the fear of commitment.

Brie is Millie and Franco is Tim, thirtysomethings living in a hip city. Tim, a musician, was once hip, too, but now he’s falling apart: He lost his label deal, and his sex drive with it. Millie, ever the optimist (or is she a control freak?) convinces Tim to move with her to a small rural town. She’ll teach grade school, he’ll work on his songs and they’ll live in a cabin in the woods. (Uh-oh.)

But even Millie wonders if they should break up. "If we don’t split now, it’ll only hurt later," she says.

A convincing portrayal, then, of millennials adrift, not too far from a mumblecore movie like "Frances Ha" or "The Puffy Chair." Then things get weird: During a hike, Millie and Tim fall into a hidden pit full of busted old pews and ceremonial bells. (A friendly neighbor, played by Damon Herriman, later mentions it was a chapel for some nutty New Agers.) Returning home, Millie and Tim discover something odd: They can’t stay away from each other.

Literally: When one leaves, the other is dragged behind as if by wires. If they make contact, their bodies begin to fuse. In short, these indecisive lovers are facing their worst nightmare: becoming one.

Kudos to Shanks, in his feature-film debut, for coming up with a novel way to explore a universal fear. "Together" has some effective moments of body horror (limbs meld, eyeballs shlurp together) and of splattery humor (the cabin conveniently comes with an electric saw). There’s also a scene of near-permanent intimacy that could serve as either a Freudian case study or an excellent PSA for safe sex.

"Together" is often funny — but often unintentionally. Brie and Franco do far too much screaming whenever they’re smushed together by invisible forces, and the effect can be campy rather than scary. The moral of this story: Couples therapy is always a good idea. Also, never go into a cabin in the woods.

By Rafer Guzmán

rafer.guzman@newsday.com