Matt (Ed Helms) is a successful app developer who leads quite a happy life, enjoying middle-age as a single man, without much intention of finding a partner. However, he does desperately want to become a father, so as a result, he seeks out alternative options for fatherhood, which leads him to hire a surrogate to carry his child through the process of in vitro fertilization. He hires Anna (Patti Harrison), a young woman who agrees to loan out her womb, as she is seeking a way to earn money to return to college after having dropped out several years before as a result of a previous pregnancy. The two agree that this should be a purely professional relationship, with the extent of their interactions being doctor’s visits and the occasional therapy session to help them work through any questions they may have for each other or themselves. However, the pair are drawn together – perhaps the seed of romance hasn’t been set in motion, but they clearly do harbour a strong connection, and through realizing that they’re both profoundly lonely people, they strike up a good friendship, especially since they have many qualities in common. However, as the pregnancy progresses, they start to realize such an approach may not be favourable, since once the baby is born, he is no longer going to be part of Anna’s life, and there are some legal and contractual requirements that prevent her from laying claim to any parentship, which only exacerbates her growing depression, as she realizes she has the opportunity to rectify her past mistakes, especially across from someone who genuinely cares for her – and while Matt himself wants to keep Anna in his life, at least as a friend, he too realizes this will be extremely difficult, especially since his entire aim in seeking out a surrogate was to ensure that he could raise his baby on his own terms, without the influence of another person alongside him.

Together Together is a truly special film, the kind of small, intimate comedy that is produced under the guidelines of getting to the root of the human condition through the process of exploring tiny, character-driven moments. Nikole Beckwith wrote and directed this film (her second directorial outing), and managed to quietly introduce the viewer to one of the most endearing portrayals of parenthood, or rather the months leading up to it. Casting a pair of incredibly charismatic actors as the leads, and employing a very funny approach to comedy that finds the right balance between humour and pathos, and gradually pulls apart the narrative strands to reveal something profoundly moving, while still wildly funny. Traversing quite difficult narrative territory, but doing so with good-natured humour and a lot of heart, Together Together feels less revolutionary than it does beautifully insightful, a tender and heartfelt glimpse into an unconventional friendship, one that is distinctly unique based on the parameters of how it started, and the ways in which it is maintained. This is a love story based around friendship, showing how the smallest, most inconsequential moments are pivotal for forming a meaningful relationship, and showing that not everything necessarily needs to fit into the preconceived boxes of what we consider a meaningful companionship to be. Beckwith is an immense talent, a sincere and earnest filmmaker with the ability to plumb even the most outrageous situations for the most profound commentary on what it means to be human, and if Together Together is anything to go by, she has a very impressive career ahead of her, especially if she continues to touch on some deeply human themes with the sensitive, funny approach she employed here.

The film asks some very compelling questions surrounding the experience of parenting in the modern world. There is a fascinating scene towards the climax where the two main characters attend a childbirth class, and upon hearing of their unique situation, the instructor takes a moment to “let go” of the conventional idea of a family she had in mind. This is the thesis statement for the entire film – Together Together isn’t about a lonely man struggling to find a partner, nor is it about a young woman who has no choice but to rent out her womb to make ends meet. These two independently-minded individuals with a strong moral fibre, and the courage to embrace what they believe is best for them. Not once in this film do we get the feeling that these are desperate people, or at least not in the way we’d expect a more mainstream comedy to perceive them. It all starts with the character of Matt, who just wants a child – he knows he can find a partner if he really wants to, but this is just an unnecessary step to achieving something that he knows he can get through other means. It’s not often that we see films that perceive men in this way, outside of a few equally small productions that tell similar stories, so for a film like Together Together to take such a bold approach seems like a step forward, even though it is depicting a situation that is a lot more common than most would expect – and throughout the film, the fact that he is a single man going through the process of getting a child is never used as a punchline, but instead as an objective fact, which is remarkably impressive, considering how it would’ve been much easier to just descend into a cavalcade of ill-conceived jokes about desperation. There’s a sense of respect asserted on both characters, who are formed as genuine, earnest human beings, rather than just archetypes of a conventional comedy. There is something much deeper to their relationship, which is so beautifully reflected in every scene of this film.

It all leads to the film’s tendency to be quite profound about the themes at its centre – these two characters are lonely people who find each other by chance. It never feels heavy-handed in how it explores these themes, especially since Together Together is really just a film about friendship and the kind of relationship that may not be defined by romance – although there is a superficial reading that does position the two protagonists in something of a situation where they start to develop feelings for one another, which would make sense, while still being quite counterproductive to what is very clearly just a solid story of two people coming to know each other and developing a strong kinship based on a shared experience they are going through together. Both actors are absolutely impeccable, with Ed Helms being as likeable as he always is, but leaving behind the socially awkward goofiness, and instead embracing an assured sense of control that demonstrates that not only is he a very funny performer, but that he is capable of being a brilliant character actor, hitting strong emotional beats while still being entertaining. Patti Harrison, one of the defining figures in the world of modern comedy, makes her leading film debut here, playing the resilient Anna, and showcasing that the previous few years that have seen her ascend in stardom, was far from a mistake – like Helms, she is very funny (and her deadpan sense of humour only helps endear her more to the viewer, giving her a millennial sensibility that contrasts well with Helms’ happy-go-lucky Generation X personality), but can also touch on deeper issues. For a film centred on friendship, it was imperative that the two leads had some degree of chemistry, and Helms and Harrison work together incredibly well, with Beckwith’s direction only serving to further showcase their incredible talents, both individually and when appearing across from each other, allowing us to believe every moment they are on screen.

Together Together is a very simple, but an effective one that does what it sets out to do, which is to be a lovely, straightforward portrait of two wayward individuals finding salvation in one another. It’s not overly complex, and there is a clear sense of cohesion that occurs between the two main characters, particularly in how the director draws on their inherent qualities as actors and uses them to set the foundation for a charming story of friendship. It’s not a very original film, outside of its premise being one that isn’t seen very often in mainstream productions (yet another resounding triumph for independent cinema, which showcases stories no one else is willing to tell), but everything about it is just so charming. The humour is fresh and invigorating, and there is a sense of genuine meaning underpinning every frame, which feels quite authentic, especially when the story veers towards some of the more serious discussions. Independent cinema doesn’t always need to strive to be entirely original – it’s more than appropriate for a film like Together Together to function as a very simple, elegant work of carefully calibrated comedy, which it does with such conviction, it’s bewildering to realize how deep these conversations actually are. Funny, insightful and genuinely moving, and anchored by a pair of unforgettable performances from two of the finest comedic minds working today, Together Together is an absolute triumph, and one of the year’s most deeply effective comedies, which it accomplishes through being the rare kind that demonstrates the willingness to have serious, character-driven conversations in between moments of delightful, irreverent joy, which makes for a very effective, balanced work of contemporary, socially-charged storytelling.