Togetherness (Blu-ray) (2015)

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General		Extras
Category	TV COMEDY SERIES	Episode Introductions-Previews Featurette-Inside the Episode Deleted Scenes Interviews-Cast-Amanda and Steve
Rating
Year Of Production	2015
Running Time	215:00
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	2,4	Directed By	Jay Duplass Mark Duplass Nicole Holofcener
Studio Distributor	Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Mark Duplass Melanie Lynskey Amanda Peet Steve Zissis Peter Gallagher Mary Steenburgen John Ortiz
Case	?
RPI	?	Music	None Given

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 French dts 5.1 German dts 5.1 Spanish dts 2.0
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	1080p
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English for the Hearing Impaired French German Spanish	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

If you have ever wondered what might happen if the founding fathers of the Mumblecore sub-genre, Mark and Jay Duplass, were let loose on a sitcom then Togetherness is your answer. Scripted and directed by the pair, this is a television series which combines comic situations with deep rooted angst. All the elements of Mumblecore are present including the feeling that many scenes are improvised as well as the whole struggle to make sense of a meaningless life.

Togetherness is a semi-ironic title. Mark Duplass plays Brett, a melancholic sound composer married to Michelle, played by Melanie Lynskey. They have two kids and a seemingly successful marriage however something has gone missing in their relationship and they are growing apart. Meanwhile Melanie's sister, Tina played by Amanda Peet, can't make it in business and her clingy nature is a turnoff for aspiring boyfriends. Finally, Brett's best friend Alex, long time Duplass brothers actor Steve Zissis, is a slobbish aspiring actor who has done one too many haemorrhoid commercials and is on the verge of leaving Los Angeles for good.

These four characters drive each other crazy whilst at the same time being inseparable. Alex begins to fall for Tina at about the same time that she meets Larry, an excellent Peter Gallagher, a film producer. Michelle, unable to understand why she doesn't want to have sex with her husband, bonds with David, John Ortiz, a single father who is passionate about developing community schools. Brett, full of existential questions, find his way into the company of Linda, Mary Steenburgen, a hippie with a mansion in the Hollywood Hills.

Togetherness is a wonderful show and benefits from the individual voice of the Duplass brothers. There is serious comedy to be found but equally each episode as significant heartbreak or melancholy. The Second Season has now commenced on Foxtel however the sad story is that the series has now been cancelled by HBO. A pity as the brothers were apparently already writing Season 3. The cable network and the Duplass Brothers are working on other projects.

Video

The technical details for Togetherness aren't that easy to find. The IMDb page does not detail the camera used for filming however the lensing is appropriate for the Arri Alexa and RED Cameras suggesting that it was shot on high-definition digital video.

This is no surprise for any TV production however the look of Togetherness is almost filmic. The picture quality is fine in all respects.

There are English subtitles for the hearing impaired as well as French, German and Spanish subtitles.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

Togetherness carries a series of audio tracks. For the English speakers there is a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. There are also French and German DTS 5.1 768 Kb/s tracks and a Spanish DTS 2.0 255 Kb/s track.

This is more than adequate for this show which features mainly dialogue.

The dialogue is clear and easy to understand.

Music is by experienced composer Michael Andrews. He has come up with a jaunty theme of the show almost suggestive of a merry-go-round slightly out of control.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

There are a few extras with the show.

Preview

Inside the Episode (21:37)

Each disc has a short featurette containing interviews and behind the scenes footage.

Deleted Scenes (8:02)

There are deleted scenes for a number of episodes, no doubt cut for time.

Amanda and Steve (5:02)

This is not so much an interview as a pair of actors who got on well on set mucking about. Lots of fun.

  The Region A version of this title is identical.

Togetherness is worth a look for anyone who feels relationship comedy is confined to hipster 20 somethings. It is bright and insightful with an undercurrent of very real melancholy.

The Blu-ray is good quality with brief but interesting extras.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall