In Together Together, the main character creates an app named Loner where users can view strangers’ photos without ever having to contact them or see them again. It’s an incisive commentary on how social media and dating apps have allowed us to engage with someone for as long as we want and just as easily move on to whoever is next. But what happens when you genuinely connect with someone even though you know the connection cannot be permanent? That’s what happens when two people meet via a gestational surrogacy arrangement. Together Together, Nicole Beckwith’s refreshing and touching dramedy breaks free from the trappings of the rom-com genre by focusing on the power of platonic relationships. 

Matt is a forty-something, single man ready to become a father who enlists Anna, a 26-year-old barista, to be his surrogate. The pair make for an unlikely duo not just because of the age gap but also in their difference of temperament. Ed Helms’ Matt is a well-meaning but overbearing father-to-be, while Patti Harrison’s Anna is dry, witty, and a bit cold before opening up as their friendship develops. Throughout the pregnancy, they begin spending much of their time together during doctor appointments, dinners, and eventually, overnight stays. As the two grow close, audiences might expect to see romance blossom, but writer-director Nikole Beckwith seems to have no interest in the will-they-won’t-they story here.

There are certainly elements of a typical rom-com like witty banter and the sweet getting to know each other conversations. Still, Beckwith consciously chose to spotlight the rarely-portrayed platonic love between a man and woman rather than a romance. Anna and Matt are not only connected through surrogacy but also as people living life “alone.” In a poignant scene, Anna asks Matt why he is having a child alone, and he says he needs to move forward and it just so happens that he’s doing it by himself. He mentions a previous long-term girlfriend, but the film smartly does not delve into his failed relationship or the background of his decision to become a single father. Matt’s unconventional choice is shown to be a bold and earnest one rather than one of desperation.

Anna’s journey through surrogacy is also portrayed in unexpected ways. As a young woman who is not currently in contact with her family, she unwittingly finds herself growing attached to Matt even as he crosses the boundaries of a typical surrogacy arrangement. He drops by her work unexpectedly and questions her about her sex life. While Matt is open and excited to connect with the woman carrying his child, Anna is initially resistant and for a good reason. Anna’s friend and coworker Jules (played hilariously by Julio Torres) reminds her that this time is finite and whatever Anna and Matt are will have to change after she gives birth. Harrison adeptly plays Anna’s heartbreak of knowing this special time in her life will end soon while Matt’s has just begun.

Together Together’s clever and awkward humor and a deep bench of supporting comedic actors (Tig Notaro, Nora Dunn, Fred Melamed, Sufe Bradshaw) are what get the film going, but it’s the genuine tenderness between the protagonists that sustain it to the end. We see this in the film’s seemingly abrupt but fitting final scene. After intimately capturing Anna and Matt as partners in surrogacy, the camera focuses solely on Anna for the concluding shot as we see relief and sadness wash over her face. It’s a reminder that even the most meaningful relationships in our lives aren’t always meant to last forever. 

Together Together is now playing in limited U.S. theaters and will be available on VOD on May 11th.