Chris Bumbray from Nova Play recently experienced the intriguing body horror film Together during the Sundance Film Festival. He shared his enthusiastic impressions, suggesting that horror aficionados can expect an exhilarating ride when the film arrives in theaters on July 30, distributed by Neon. Interestingly, while Bumbray was captivated by the film at Sundance, producers of the indie project Better Half, which debuted in 2020, were closely monitoring developments due to its eerie similarities to their own story.
Jess Jacklin and Charles Beale, the creative minds behind Better Half, have raised significant concerns, alleging that Together borrows excessively from their original vision. As reported by Variety, they have filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie. The producers contend that they presented the concept of Better Half to the actors in 2020, only to have their proposal turned down by Franco, Brie, and their representatives from WME. In a striking moment of recognition, Jacklin and Beale observed scene after scene in Together that closely echoed their own creative ideas. The lawsuit claims, “Defendants did not simply take stock ideas or common tropes; they appropriated virtually every distinctive element of ‘Better Half’s’ copyrightable expression.”
The legal filing alleges that Franco and Brie devised an “intentional scheme” to extract concepts from Better Half after rejecting the initial pitch. This move was motivated by their desire to produce the film independently, collaborating with another writer under the WME banner.
According to the lawsuit, a casting director associated with Better Half had shared a script and synopsis with Franco and Brie’s agents in August 2020, alongside an invitation for the couple to star in the project. Franco’s agent’s response indicated a lack of interest: “Dave is going to pass, but thank you for thinking of him.” Meanwhile, WME has dismissed the lawsuit as “frivolous and without merit,” with a spokesperson asserting, “The facts in this case are clear and we plan to vigorously defend ourselves.”
The legal dispute intricately highlights shared thematic elements between the two films, both of which explore how intertwined lives create chaos. The lawsuit details, “In both ‘Better Half’ and ‘Together,’ the main characters struggle to navigate daily life as their physical attachment progresses and they start to control each other’s body parts.”
However, there’s a caution regarding potential spoilers in the lawsuit’s descriptions of the films, hinting that those wishing to approach the narratives unspoiled may want to heed this warning.
The complaint unveils that both narratives begin with characters desperately inventing ways to separate from each other—whether through medical procedures or even chainsaws. Ultimately, they must confront and accept their bizarre predicament. A particularly striking parallel noted in the suit involves both films depicting a “strikingly similar bathroom sequence where the protagonists become attached at the genitals” while attempting to hide their awkward situation from an unsuspecting minor character lingering nearby.
In conclusion, Variety outlines the synopsis of Better Half as a surreal and satirical comedy that follows a couple who wake up physically conjoined after a night of passion. Remarkably, the film was not initially pitched as a horror piece and was later rebranded as a romantic comedy at the Brooklyn Film Festival.
