It was supposed to be a routine international release for an Australian horror film that had already found critical acclaim. But when Together, starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie, debuted in selected Chinese cinemas on September 12, 2025, moviegoers quickly noticed something amiss. A pivotal wedding scene—originally depicting a same-sex couple—had been digitally altered. One groom’s face was swapped for a woman’s, transforming the couple into a heterosexual pairing. The culprit? Artificial intelligence, wielded by the film’s local distributor, Hishow, to satisfy China’s strict censorship standards.
As reported by Deadline, the unauthorized edit sparked immediate backlash. Neon, the film’s global distributor, responded swiftly and unequivocally, stating, “Neon does not approve of Hishow’s unauthorized edit of the film and have demanded they cease distributing this altered version.” By September 24, the film had been completely pulled from Chinese theaters, its public release—scheduled for September 19—abruptly canceled. The fate of Together in China remains uncertain.
Social media in China lit up with criticism as soon as side-by-side screenshots of the original and altered scenes began circulating. On Douban, a popular Chinese film review platform, one user wrote, “This is no longer just a matter of cuts—it’s a matter of distortion and misrepresentation.” Another commented, “Not only did they alter the plot, but they also disrespected the actor’s sexual orientation. It’s disgusting.” The film’s Douban rating now sits at 6.9 out of 10, reflecting both the positive buzz from its international run and the controversy surrounding its Chinese release.
But the wedding wasn’t the only scene to receive the digital scalpel. As the BBC detailed, viewers also noticed that nudity had been obscured in the Chinese cut—steam was digitally added to a shower scene to hide the male lead’s body. Several references to the same-sex relationship were simply removed. This approach, critics say, goes beyond traditional editing and veers into outright misrepresentation. As one Douban user put it, “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.”
China’s history of censoring LGBTQ+ content in imported films is well documented. Bohemian Rhapsody had three minutes excised for its depiction of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury’s sexuality, while Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore lost lines referencing a same-sex romance. Streaming platforms have also quietly edited out lesbian characters or scenes, as with Friends. The difference this time, as The Guardian and The Independent both noted, is the use of AI to alter rather than simply cut scenes—making censorship harder to detect and raising new ethical questions for filmmakers and audiences alike.
“That’s great!” one Douban reviewer wrote sarcastically. “We can re-release Brokeback Mountain, God’s Own Country, Lan Yu, and Happy Together, and use AI to remake them into heterosexual romances with just one click. That’s faster and better than taking Chinese medicine! We’re so beautiful here! We have hope!” The comment, dripping with irony, captures the frustration and resignation felt by many Chinese film fans who see such edits as both absurd and deeply troubling.
Homosexuality was decriminalized in China in 1997, and by 2001 it was removed from the Chinese Society of Psychiatry’s list of mental disorders. Yet, as The Guardian pointed out, same-sex relationships remain stigmatized and unrecognized legally. Advocacy groups and LGBTQ+ content have faced increasing restrictions, especially in recent years. The government maintains a stance of “neither supporting nor opposing” homosexuality, but public space for discussion and representation has shrunk. Earlier in 2025, at least 30 writers of gay erotic fiction—almost all young women—were arrested, accused of producing “obscene materials for profit.”
China’s regulatory approach to imported films is equally strict. Only 34 international titles are allowed annually, with American movies making up just 5% of the box office, according to The Guardian. Films must pass government censors, and sensitive themes—especially those involving sexuality or politics—are routinely excised. Sometimes, as with Kundun or Noah, movies are banned entirely. Other times, as with Together, they are edited, sometimes in ways that fundamentally change their meaning.
Neon, which acquired worldwide rights to Together at the Sundance Film Festival for $15 million, was blindsided by the extent of the Chinese edit. The company’s condemnation was echoed by many in the international film community, who see the incident as a test case for the growing use of AI in censorship. As The Independent reported, some fear that digital tools could soon make it impossible for audiences to know whether they are seeing a filmmaker’s original vision or a state-sanctioned rewrite.
For director Michael Shanks and stars Alison Brie and Dave Franco, the controversy is a stark reminder of the challenges facing international filmmakers. Together, which follows a couple moving to the countryside only to encounter a mysterious, body-altering force, was praised for its originality and strong performances. Its U.S. release in July 2025 brought in $6.7 million on opening weekend and a domestic total of $21.2 million. Critics lauded its smart direction and the “lived-in quality” that Brie and Franco, married in real life, brought to their roles.
Yet, despite its critical and commercial success elsewhere, Together became a flashpoint in China’s ongoing battle over LGBTQ+ representation. The use of AI to erase a same-sex couple—rather than simply cutting the scene—struck many as a new and disturbing escalation. As one Douban user lamented, “In the future, we won’t even know we’re watching the original film.”
China’s government, for its part, has shown little sign of loosening its grip on media content. In 2021, the National Radio and Television Administration banned the appearance of “effeminate men” on screen, urging broadcasters to “resolutely put an end to abnormal aesthetics.” The same year, a broadcaster was barred from airing the Eurovision Song Contest after censoring LGBT+ content. And earlier this year, young authors of gay fiction were detained as part of a broader crackdown on “obscene materials.”
For many, the Together incident is a warning of what’s to come as technology gives censors ever more powerful tools. The backlash from Chinese audiences, however, shows that not everyone is willing to accept these changes quietly. As the debate rages on, one thing is clear: the battle over who gets to tell—and see—the stories that matter is far from over.
