1 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:11,559 Speaker 1: From The Australian. This is the weekend edition of The Front. 2 00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 1: I'm Claire Harvey. Together, which hits cinemas this week. Sounds 3 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:22,479 Speaker 1: like a rom com Quti's Dave Franco and Alison Bree 4 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:25,960 Speaker 1: play a couple. He's a musician, she's a teacher who's 5 00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:28,360 Speaker 1: recently been offered a job in the countryside. 6 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:30,360 Speaker 2: It explores themes. 7 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:35,080 Speaker 1: Common in long term relationships, love, codependency and well you 8 00:00:35,159 --> 00:00:39,360 Speaker 1: guessed it togetherness. Only Together has been given the body 9 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: horror treatment and explores the idea of a couple being 10 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 1: united not just in souls, but in literally joined bodies. 11 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:51,199 Speaker 3: I think you should sleep on the spare underneath. I agree, we. 12 00:00:51,159 --> 00:00:52,159 Speaker 2: Need to keep for a distance. 13 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:56,880 Speaker 1: Together was shot at Dockland Studios in Melbourne and is 14 00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 1: Melbourne based director Michael Shanks' debut feature. Joining us on 15 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: the Front today is Stephen Romee, The Australian's film critic, 16 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:11,200 Speaker 1: Stephen How many stars did you give? 17 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:11,559 Speaker 2: Together? 18 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:16,400 Speaker 3: I gave Together three and a half stars, close to four, 19 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:18,440 Speaker 3: but I went with three and a half. In the end. 20 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:24,160 Speaker 2: It's something called body horror. What is that? 21 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 3: Well, body horror, as the name suggests, is when the 22 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:32,640 Speaker 3: horror of the film is connected to the body, but 23 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:36,800 Speaker 3: not necessarily in the slasher film way, where the body 24 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:40,760 Speaker 3: is chopped up by Freddy Krueger's sharp hands or something 25 00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:45,040 Speaker 3: like that. It's more about the change to the body 26 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 3: of the characters. So in Together, for example, the two 27 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:54,120 Speaker 3: main characters Tim and Millie, who were played by the 28 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:58,160 Speaker 3: married couple Dave Franco and Allison Bree, head off to 29 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:01,240 Speaker 3: somewhere in the nowhere of a men. One thing leads 30 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:07,400 Speaker 3: to another, and suddenly their bodies start sticking together. It 31 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:10,400 Speaker 3: very first happens in a cave after they go on 32 00:02:10,440 --> 00:02:12,200 Speaker 3: a high can get lost, and they wake up in 33 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:15,240 Speaker 3: the morning and their legs are stuck to each other. 34 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 3: He thinks it's mildew and they pull apart. From there, 35 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 3: the story develops and they're a couple, so you can 36 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:27,240 Speaker 3: imagine that other bits of their bodies are going to 37 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:31,560 Speaker 3: get stuck together. There's a scene where they kiss, and 38 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:34,720 Speaker 3: remember this is a real life husband and wife kissing 39 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:38,960 Speaker 3: and their lips stick together. So the question is what's 40 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:41,560 Speaker 3: happening here. Is it just the change of atmosphere they're 41 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:44,800 Speaker 3: in the country and they're a bit more sticky, or 42 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:49,840 Speaker 3: is it something supernatural or is it something to do 43 00:02:49,919 --> 00:02:53,120 Speaker 3: with one of the characters. The male character has a 44 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:57,800 Speaker 3: long history of family mental illness, for example, So I 45 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 3: wouldn't say much more about how much which they get stark, 46 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:05,359 Speaker 3: except to repeat that they are a married couple, and 47 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:07,040 Speaker 3: there is a scene where I had to cross my 48 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:07,839 Speaker 3: legs as I watch. 49 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:11,640 Speaker 1: It feels like it might be slightly metaphorical. Anyone who's 50 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:14,880 Speaker 1: traveled with their partner has had that feeling of needing 51 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 1: to get away. 52 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:19,440 Speaker 3: It is completely metaphorical. That's a good point. What this 53 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:25,680 Speaker 3: film does so well is it takes common relationship issues 54 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:32,120 Speaker 3: such as the anxiety you have over commitment, codependency, and 55 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 3: morphs them into a horror film. I love You. That's 56 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:52,880 Speaker 3: what I like about the film. It's not an alien 57 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:55,360 Speaker 3: from out of space coming and killing people. It's not 58 00:03:55,520 --> 00:04:00,160 Speaker 3: a serial killer wandering around. It's a married couple who 59 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:03,480 Speaker 3: have lots of issues, as a lot of married couples do, 60 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 3: and as you say, it metaphorically uses them to make 61 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:11,880 Speaker 3: a horror film. This is based on the director's life, 62 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 3: Michael Shanks. I don't know have his exact daye. I'd 63 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:18,880 Speaker 3: say'd be mid thirties. He's been with the same partner 64 00:04:19,400 --> 00:04:26,279 Speaker 3: since they met during schoolies. Romantic, very romantic. Indeed, so 65 00:04:26,760 --> 00:04:31,320 Speaker 3: each of them have never had an adult relationship with 66 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:35,680 Speaker 3: anyone else but each other, and so he's based this 67 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:40,160 Speaker 3: film on his own experience as someone who more or 68 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:44,239 Speaker 3: less has lived with another adult in a romantic way 69 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:47,279 Speaker 3: from the time he was old enough to do so. 70 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 1: Alison Brian Dave Francol have both been in quite big productions, 71 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:58,160 Speaker 1: but perhaps not Billboard superstars. How did you find their performances? 72 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:03,480 Speaker 3: They were good. Franco brings much needed humor to the film. 73 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:06,200 Speaker 3: He can find the humor of the moment. So when, 74 00:05:06,279 --> 00:05:09,000 Speaker 3: for example, they stick together in another part of their 75 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:13,640 Speaker 3: body and his wife says, well, it's not mildew this time, 76 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:17,039 Speaker 3: the character says, I don't know anything about mildew. I 77 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:19,560 Speaker 3: just said that and it sort of makes you laugh. 78 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:24,680 Speaker 1: Do you feel like horror is going to be a 79 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:27,440 Speaker 1: genre that Michael Shanks keeps working on? Is that somewhere 80 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 1: where Australian film is going as well? 81 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:36,000 Speaker 3: Absolutely? This is the latest film in a fairly recent 82 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:41,200 Speaker 3: growth in Australian filmmakers leaving their bloodied fingerprints over the 83 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:44,919 Speaker 3: horror genre. We all know now of the Philipoo Brothers 84 00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:49,360 Speaker 3: from Adelaide, Danny and Michael, who have had two films 85 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:53,160 Speaker 3: so far talk to me and bring her back, both 86 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:57,839 Speaker 3: horror films. The first film was so good it got 87 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:02,839 Speaker 3: noticed overseas. Are still set in Australia, but the success 88 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:06,520 Speaker 3: of the first film meant the second film stars the 89 00:06:06,560 --> 00:06:10,640 Speaker 3: English Academy Award nominee Sally Hawkins. She noticed the film 90 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:12,599 Speaker 3: and said yes when they came and asked her to 91 00:06:12,640 --> 00:06:16,440 Speaker 3: be in the second film. There's the Philippine Brothers. Michael 92 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:19,599 Speaker 3: Shanks is there now and of course this traces back 93 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:25,960 Speaker 3: to James One and the Soar franchise. He is considered 94 00:06:26,279 --> 00:06:28,560 Speaker 3: one of the masters of the horror genre now and 95 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:32,760 Speaker 3: a lot of young filmmakers are following in his footsteps. 96 00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:35,760 Speaker 1: Australia's got a great heritage of I don't know if 97 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:38,440 Speaker 1: you would call this horror, but certainly scary films. I've 98 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:42,040 Speaker 1: never recovered from Wake in Fright? Is it something we 99 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:43,400 Speaker 1: do particularly well? 100 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:46,640 Speaker 3: Do you think Wake in Fright is, in my opinion, 101 00:06:46,839 --> 00:06:53,919 Speaker 3: the best Australian film yet made. What do you have 102 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:57,560 Speaker 3: a drink? No, I'm doing with this one's things. I'll 103 00:06:57,640 --> 00:07:01,400 Speaker 3: drink it an no by another broken a Canifford to drink. 104 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:02,880 Speaker 3: What's that going to do with that? Man? 105 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:04,760 Speaker 2: I said to buy you a drink, you don't have 106 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:06,920 Speaker 2: to buy me one. Now I drink it down. 107 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:14,320 Speaker 3: Now. Is it a horror film? No, it's a film 108 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:17,640 Speaker 3: about a city school teacher going and having to live 109 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:21,320 Speaker 3: in the country for a while. There is a horror story. 110 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:24,680 Speaker 3: When I think of Australian horror films, I would go 111 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:30,040 Speaker 3: more towards say Wolf Creek, because it's not a supernatural 112 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:34,760 Speaker 3: horror film. But it is about someone mad killing people. 113 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:37,840 Speaker 3: And yes, we're very good at that, and I think 114 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:40,000 Speaker 3: it's good that our filmmakers sort of have their own 115 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:43,920 Speaker 3: way of doing it. This film Together, for example, I 116 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:46,680 Speaker 3: wouldn't call it a horror film. I would call it 117 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:51,960 Speaker 3: a psychological thriller, although towards the end perhaps there are 118 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:54,240 Speaker 3: horror elements, but that's for viewers to find out when 119 00:07:54,240 --> 00:08:01,960 Speaker 3: they go and see it. We spend lives in search 120 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:04,840 Speaker 3: of the other half. If you think you've found that, 121 00:08:06,760 --> 00:08:07,960 Speaker 3: don't be so quick to let you go. 122 00:08:12,360 --> 00:08:14,960 Speaker 1: One of the stars of Together is Damon Harryman, who 123 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:18,280 Speaker 1: must be one of Australia's most versatile actors. He's in 124 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:21,720 Speaker 1: the TV production of The Artful Dodger. He became internationally 125 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:25,920 Speaker 1: famous for his portrayal of troubled Hillbilly in Justified. 126 00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:29,680 Speaker 3: He's also played Charles Manson twice. By the way, in 127 00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:32,800 Speaker 3: this film, he is a teacher at the remote school 128 00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:38,560 Speaker 3: that Millie gets posted to, and they meet and he's 129 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:43,400 Speaker 3: very charming, very sweet, welcoming, which, of course, in a 130 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:47,360 Speaker 3: horror film, makes you start to worry. I'm scared already 131 00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:51,240 Speaker 3: now as this is a different horror film. Maybe he 132 00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:54,360 Speaker 3: is just a charming, sweet, pleasant man, or maybe he isn't. 133 00:08:58,480 --> 00:08:58,960 Speaker 2: Coming up. 134 00:08:59,080 --> 00:09:14,679 Speaker 1: How Together found itself in the middle of a plagiarism drama. 135 00:09:18,840 --> 00:09:21,680 Speaker 1: Together is the latest film to be embroiled in a 136 00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:22,800 Speaker 1: plagiarism drama. 137 00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:25,880 Speaker 2: In May, the creators of a movie called Better. 138 00:09:25,679 --> 00:09:28,680 Speaker 1: Half, which came out in twenty twenty three, took aim 139 00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:31,240 Speaker 1: at the team behind Together, saying the movie was a 140 00:09:31,280 --> 00:09:36,080 Speaker 1: blatant ripoff of Better Half. Although the movie genres differ 141 00:09:36,320 --> 00:09:39,680 Speaker 1: Better Half is a romantic comedy, both films hinge on 142 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:44,720 Speaker 1: the same concept lover's bodies fusing together via a supernatural force. 143 00:09:45,320 --> 00:09:46,079 Speaker 2: The creators of. 144 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:48,800 Speaker 1: Together have pushed back. They say their work is not 145 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:53,560 Speaker 1: remotely similar. Lawyer Nicholas Jampol, acting on Behalf of the 146 00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:57,560 Speaker 1: Together team, also added that Together director Michael Shanks registered 147 00:09:57,600 --> 00:10:00,920 Speaker 1: a draft scriptive Together with the Writers Guild of America 148 00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:04,800 Speaker 1: in twenty nineteen, two years before production started on Better Half. 149 00:10:05,559 --> 00:10:08,360 Speaker 1: How much the draft script mirrors what ended up in 150 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:12,319 Speaker 1: the final scriptive Together is unclear. The plaintiffs say there 151 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:15,760 Speaker 1: are other similarities too. They claim both films featured the 152 00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:19,400 Speaker 1: song to Become One by the Spice Girls, and reference 153 00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:25,400 Speaker 1: a work by ancient Greek philosopher Plato called the Symposium. 154 00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:29,760 Speaker 3: The tricky bit here is that Better Half was offered 155 00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:32,679 Speaker 3: to Dave Franco and Alison Bree and they said no. 156 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:37,000 Speaker 3: Their lawyers have gone quite hard in response. They've said 157 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:40,760 Speaker 3: that the people behind Better Half are quote drumming up 158 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:44,680 Speaker 3: fifteen minutes of fame for a failed project. But look, 159 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:46,839 Speaker 3: I haven't seen Better Half, so I think it's one 160 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:49,079 Speaker 3: of those. We will just have to let the lawyers 161 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:52,480 Speaker 3: sort it out. But this idea of plagiarism in filmmaking 162 00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:55,840 Speaker 3: is not new by any means. James Cameron, for example, 163 00:10:56,200 --> 00:11:00,520 Speaker 3: he was accused of plagiarism for Avatar more or less 164 00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:03,440 Speaker 3: saying he ripped off some Russian sci fi novels that 165 00:11:03,679 --> 00:11:08,000 Speaker 3: never really went anywhere. He was accused of plagiarism for 166 00:11:08,040 --> 00:11:13,320 Speaker 3: the very first Terminator, An American science fiction writer, Harlan Ellison, 167 00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:16,240 Speaker 3: said that he'd stolen his ideas. Now that one was 168 00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:20,200 Speaker 3: settled out of court in Ellison's favor, and he was 169 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:26,960 Speaker 3: subsequently credited in the film credits. Mostly when these allegations raised, 170 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:29,600 Speaker 3: the studios simply settled them out of court. 171 00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:32,959 Speaker 1: And that isn't necessarily an admission of wrongdoing, is it. 172 00:11:33,679 --> 00:11:36,600 Speaker 3: No, it's not. It's simply making the complainant go away 173 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:40,840 Speaker 3: with money. A few others I could mention. Ridley Scott's 174 00:11:40,880 --> 00:11:44,480 Speaker 3: Alien was accused of plagiarizing a short story by a 175 00:11:44,520 --> 00:11:48,120 Speaker 3: Canadian science fiction writer, and that was settled out of 176 00:11:48,200 --> 00:11:54,200 Speaker 3: court Home Alone. John Hughes's film was accused of being 177 00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:56,560 Speaker 3: an exact copy of a French film that came out 178 00:11:56,600 --> 00:11:57,680 Speaker 3: only a year earlier. 179 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:01,840 Speaker 1: We see accusations of plagiarism across the arts. Ed Sheeran 180 00:12:01,920 --> 00:12:04,080 Speaker 1: is someone who's mean to court to argue about his 181 00:12:04,120 --> 00:12:07,040 Speaker 1: work is original. What about in film as a form 182 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:09,480 Speaker 1: of art. What's your view of the way ideas make 183 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:12,480 Speaker 1: their way to screen. It's not about outlandish that two 184 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:14,720 Speaker 1: people might have a similar idea at the same time. 185 00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:17,160 Speaker 3: Just on music, I saw a funny story a few 186 00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:20,800 Speaker 3: days ago where Billy Joel was talking about how he 187 00:12:20,840 --> 00:12:23,960 Speaker 3: thought the Beatles' White Album was terrible, and all of 188 00:12:23,960 --> 00:12:27,120 Speaker 3: the comments that I saw online following said, Billy Joel, 189 00:12:27,520 --> 00:12:30,160 Speaker 3: every single song you've written was inspired by the Beatles, 190 00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:33,640 Speaker 3: and you're terrible. I don't know whether that's plagiarism or not. 191 00:12:34,040 --> 00:12:39,200 Speaker 3: In films, it is probably a trickier terrain, because, say, 192 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:44,160 Speaker 3: in literature, if you plagiarize somebody else's writing, the words 193 00:12:44,160 --> 00:12:47,240 Speaker 3: are on the page, it's quite clear that you've lifted 194 00:12:47,240 --> 00:12:50,800 Speaker 3: them from somebody else's work. With film, there is the 195 00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:54,040 Speaker 3: debate over can two people have the same idea at 196 00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:57,959 Speaker 3: the same time. With Home Alone, for example, the French 197 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:00,720 Speaker 3: film is about a kid stuck at home in trouble, 198 00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:02,600 Speaker 3: burglars and all that sort of stuff, it is the 199 00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:06,520 Speaker 3: same film in a sense. But John Hughes just said, 200 00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:08,800 Speaker 3: but I had the idea too. Yeah, he said he 201 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:11,960 Speaker 3: hadn't seen the French film. I don't know the truth 202 00:13:12,200 --> 00:13:15,560 Speaker 3: of that, but it's entirely possible of course that two 203 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:19,000 Speaker 3: different filmmakers can have the idea of a kid stuck 204 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:22,720 Speaker 3: at home and having to deal with unexpected circumstances. 205 00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:31,600 Speaker 1: Stephen Rome is the Australian's film critic. You can read 206 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:34,960 Speaker 1: his review of Together right now at the Australian dot 207 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:37,000 Speaker 1: com dot a u slash review. 208 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:39,880 Speaker 2: This episode of the Front was hosted. 209 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:42,600 Speaker 1: By me Claire Harvey and produced by Jasper League, who 210 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:44,959 Speaker 1: edited the episode and also wrote our theme. 211 00:13:45,400 --> 00:13:47,080 Speaker 2: Thanks for joining us on the Front this week. 212 00:13:47,160 --> 00:13:50,760 Speaker 1: Our team includes Kristin amiot Lea, Sam mcglue, Tiffany Dimak, 213 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:52,960 Speaker 1: Joshua Burton and Stephanie Kombs.