{"id":1451663,"date":"2025-09-26T07:33:52","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T06:33:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gaytimes.com\/?p=1451663"},"modified":"2025-10-01T11:11:31","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T10:11:31","slug":"together-pulled-from-chinese-cinemas-after-an-unauthorised-edit-of-a-gay-couple","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gaytimes.com\/films\/together-pulled-from-chinese-cinemas-after-an-unauthorised-edit-of-a-gay-couple\/","title":{"rendered":"Together pulled from Chinese cinemas after an “unauthorised” edit of a gay couple"},"content":{"rendered":"

Together<\/span><\/a><\/em> has been pulled from Chinese cinemas after a local distributor edited a gay couple into a heterosexual couple.<\/span><\/p>\n

In July and August, moviegoers in the US, UK, and Europe were treated to the highly anticipated body horror film, starring real-life married actors Alison Brie (<\/span>Community<\/span><\/em>) and Franco (<\/span>Now You See Me<\/span><\/em>).<\/span><\/p>\n

Written and directed by Michael Shanks, the film follows Tim (Franco) and Millie (Brie), a couple who “find themselves at a crossroads as they move to the country, abandoning all that is familiar in their lives except each other.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The official synopsis adds: “With tensions already flaring, a nightmarish encounter with a mysterious, unnatural force threatens to corrupt their lives, their love and their flesh.”<\/span><\/p>\n

While <\/span>Together<\/span><\/em> has received widespread acclaim \u2013\u00a0<\/span>earning a 90% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes<\/a>\u2013 it was subjected to anti-LGBTQIA+ censorship during its early release in China.<\/p>\n

Last week, the film went viral on social media after viewers realised that a gay couple in the original release were changed into a straight couple using AI editing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Additional reports also stated that some of <\/span>Together’s <\/span><\/em>sex scenes were removed from the release.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

“The horror film “Together” featured a gay couple in a peripheral role (see below) that got magicked into a straight couple in the Chinese edition,” <\/span>one X\/Twitter user wrote alongside a screenshot of the two scenes.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

“No spoilers, but this definitely makes the film make less sense. One nuance is that Chinese movies are not rated for age. Maybe if it were, the same-sex pairing would have survived.” <\/span><\/p>\n

On Douban, the Chinese equivalent of IMDb, some viewers expressed concerns over the AI edits, with one person writing: “This is infringement, right?”<\/span><\/p>\n

Another person added: “The evolution to using AI to directly swap faces is truly terrifying… In the future, we won’t even know we’re watching the original film.”<\/span><\/p>\n

On 24 September, the film’s global distributor, Neon,<\/span> released a statement to Deadline<\/em><\/a> condemning Chinese distributor Hishow for implementing the anti-LGBTQIA+ changes.<\/span><\/p>\n

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ADAM AND STEVE TO ADAM AND EVE<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a use of AI I bet you never thought of! The horror film \u201cTogether\u201d featured a gay couple in a peripheral role (see below) that got magicked into a straight couple in the Chinese edition.<\/p>\n

No spoilers, but this definitely makes the film make\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/bsxw5019uj<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Angelica \ud83c\udf10\u269b\ufe0f\ud83c\uddf9\ud83c\uddfc\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@AngelicaOung) September 17, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n