Together Together is the story of a young loner Anna (Patti Harrison) who becomes the gestational surrogate for Matt (Ed Helms), a single man in his 40s, The two strangers come to realize this unexpected relationship will challenge their perceptions of connection, boundaries, and the particulars of love.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW

This is one of those feel-good movies that we all need sometimes to just sit back and have 90-minutes of joyful bliss. There are no special effects, no top name celebrities, and not much in the way of a gripping storyline, but that’s what makes this film special. It’s a story about humans that viewers will be able to relate to, offering several tender moments, and a few laughs along the way.

Matt’s life is slowly passing by him, and he hasn’t found the right partner in life, yet he still wants to have his own child. A more common scenario with females, yet not totally uncommon for males to desire the same. His brother is happily married with a wife and two kids, and Matt decides he’s not going to wait any longer, and do what he wants for himself and not care what others think, even his parents.

The film opens with him interviewing Anna a variety of questions, and despite it looking like she might not be the right candidate, he does choose her to carry his child. She admits that she got pregnant as a teenager and instead of abortion she chose to have the baby and then give it up for adoption, so she’s already been in this similar situation before. Similar to Matt, she’s more a loner in life, being alienated from her family for her decision to give up her baby.

The story follows the two along over the 9-month pregnancy term, with both becoming closer to each other as friends in a platonic relationship. Despite their age difference of roughly two decades, they find they have more in common than they first thought. Instead of just a transaction deal of surrogacy, they end up living together so that Matt can have the full experience. It becomes a story of love in usual circumstances, and isn’t love what we all desire no matter what form that may be?

Written and directed by Nikole Beckwith. This film breaks ground with it’s open and honest portrayal of characters and actors from a diverse background, without making their sexuality or gender the forefront of the story. Patti Harrison is cast as a trans female playing the lead character role of a straight cis female, along with a fun bunch of secondary characters throughout. Lesbian comedian and actor Tig Notaro (Madeline) plays the therapist, and queer “Saturday Night Live” alumni Julio Torres (Jules) plays Anna’s hilariously campy cafe co-worker. Sufe Bradshaw (Jean) also pulls off a great dry comedic role as the hospital technician.

Available from Bleecker Street Media and Level Film.

 

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality. He has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He enjoys discovering delicious eats, tasting spirited treats, and being mesmerized by musical beats.