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Controversy over the horror movie Together is mounting after mysterious edits in its Chinese screenings left cinema-goers baffled and outraged. Featuring Dave Franco and Alison Brie, the movie was screened at special previews in China on September 12, but soon, audiences were aware of dramatic edits to the film. 

Leaked images of the original cut started appearing online, showing that certain scenes had been changed, most significantly, a same-sex couple was converted into a heterosexual pairing. One male actor in the original gay couple was replaced digitally with a woman, changing the story of the relationship.

The changes were seen in screenings last month, Bloomberg reports. Images side by side on social media reveal two men holding hands at a seeming wedding altar, rings on their fingers. In the censored Chinese version, the scene used a man and a woman instead of the original gay couple.

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The film, which premiered at Sundance and was released in July in the United States and Australia, received a strong critical reception, boasting a 90 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Chinese audiences reported additional edits beyond the replacement of the gay couple. Scenes depicting nudity were modified, such as a shower scene where steam was digitally added to obscure a character’s body.

China has censored LGBTQ+ content historically because same-sex marriage is not accepted, and topics related to it are sensitive. The use of AI-generated editing in Together has especially infuriated people. Fans went to Douban, a Chinese review site, to vent their anger at the cuts but also at the blurring of the actors' identities. A user posted, "This is no longer censorship; it's a total manipulation of the story and a disrespect to all actors involved."

Distributor Replies, Chinese Studio Mum

As a reaction to the scandal, Together's worldwide distributor Neon released a statement denouncing the unauthorised edits and calling for the removal of the edited version from circulation. The corporation acknowledged it did not sanction these edits and demanded the end of distribution of the edited movie. China's distributor Hishow, which made the cuts, has not yet made a public response regarding the incident.

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