Here's a challenge for partners in committed relationships who appreciate the horror genre: Get comfortable with your significant other and view Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its streaming debut via Hulu. Outwardly, it could look like typical physical horror, but within Together lies a deep meditation about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Debut Feature Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together represents the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have been together for ten years. Having wed in actuality in 2017, the actors infuse a particular energy to their roles, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The narrative commences when the couple move from the big city to the country for her career. A commonly used plot device, admittedly, but that’s largely where the cliches end. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim discover an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence takes hold of the pair. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past simple connection.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying horror experience, interspersing bits of fever-dream horrors, gross (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Shanks weaves these elements together neatly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and far away from his social circle. He is terrified of the notion of completely losing his individual identity in his partner. This fear is intensified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie avoids making Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
The couple confront the kind of problems that are inherent in long-term unions a decade in. Fundamentally, they continue to care for one another. They find humor with each other, offer support, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these concerns of codependency and giving oneself over to a partner, the symbolism avoids being hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, some couples having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the finale plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you identify in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your partner and state, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can embark on today.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu at present.
