2025 Romance Movie Uses Body Horror To Explore Codependency

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Body horror is a genre known for being shocking, often featuring disturbing imagery and intense gore. It’s often seen as pushing the limits of what viewers can handle with its depictions of physical transformation and injury. However, films like Raw, which sparked my love for horror, demonstrate that the genre can also be deeply symbolic and meaningful.

The most effective body horror movies don’t just shock – they use disturbing images of physical transformation to explore deeper themes and answer important questions. Throughout history, storytellers have been fascinated by what it means to be human, and today, the body horror genre is the most striking and powerful way filmmakers explore those ideas.

David Cronenberg is famous for pioneering body horror films, often using disturbing physical transformations to delve into complex psychological and sexual themes. His movies vary in how much they rely on this type of imagery. A recent 2025 horror film brought to mind Cronenberg’s approach, using body horror to surprisingly explore tender and relatable human emotions.

Together Uses Body Horror To Explore Codependency

Dave Franco and Alison Brie star as Tim and Millie, a couple who spontaneously get engaged and move to the country. They quickly find that country life isn’t easy, but decide to explore their new surroundings. After a night spent sheltering in a hole, they wake up and begin experiencing strange things happening to their bodies.

The film Together charts a couple’s struggles as they face a bizarre and terrifying situation: their skin begins randomly fusing together. These painful and unpredictable attachments, which are excruciating to separate, initially seem confusing but quickly escalate into a disturbing body horror experience.

I’ve been thinking about Tim and Millie, and it’s heartbreaking to see how completely intertwined they’ve become. It’s like they’ve lost their individual selves, even when they’re not physically together – they can’t really do anything on their own anymore. That scene with Tim in the shower when Millie was driving? It was so unsettling, but I realized it wasn’t just about something supernatural happening. It felt like a physical manifestation of how stuck together they are, how dependent they’ve become on each other. And the really sad part is, this wasn’t something that started when they moved to the country; it was always there, a deep-seated codependency that just grew over time.

The movie portrays the difficult feelings of codependency in a visually striking way, making the story easy to follow and its message clear. The use of unsettling imagery, often called ‘body horror,’ clearly resonates with audiences, as evidenced by the film’s overwhelmingly positive reception – it currently has a 90% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Together’s Body Horror Is Restrained

Even though Together shows unsettling and difficult situations, it doesn’t feel overly graphic or frightening. You find yourself drawn into the couple’s struggle, even while you instinctively turn away during the more disturbing scenes where they try to help each other. Surprisingly, you become invested in their relationship and genuinely care about what happens to them, even as the situation becomes increasingly intense and physically harrowing.

The movie Together uses body horror subtly, not for shock value, but to emphasize the struggles within the couple’s relationship. While the situation is terrifying, the film draws you in and makes you hope the couple can overcome their challenges because you become emotionally connected to them.

It would have been hard to become so invested in the film, particularly on a deep, emotional level, if it had focused too much on graphic violence and self-inflicted harm – a common trait of this type of movie. While the film does show disturbing imagery, it’s used thoughtfully to create unease and emphasize the story’s themes, rather than simply shocking the audience.

Together’s Ending Celebrates The Strength Of Their Love

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The ending of Together beautifully showcases Tim and Millie’s strong relationship, with a surprising turn of events that initially feels shocking but ultimately feels satisfying. It’s rare to see a film about a struggling couple that doesn’t involve cheating, and Together cleverly avoids that cliché by using elements of body horror instead.

The story is deeply focused on Tim and Millie’s unique relationship, so it wouldn’t feel right for them to betray each other, or for the film to start following anyone else. The frightening physical transformations represent the difficulties all couples face, which is why the happy ending feels so satisfying.

The Leads’ Chemistry Complements The Body Horror

Dave Franco and Alison Brie have fantastic chemistry when they act together as a couple. While people often assume their real-life marriage makes their work easier, watching their film, Together, shows that wasn’t necessarily the case. The movie actually delves into some difficult and sensitive issues that many couples face, making the project challenging even for them.

Brie and Franco deliver strong performances, guiding viewers through a story that’s both frightening and ultimately touching. Their believable chemistry is central to the film, as “Together” explores how a relationship is tested by terrifying events. They skillfully enhance the movie’s unsettling visuals with their nuanced acting, making the horror feel deeply personal.

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2025-11-15 20:24