Here's a test for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy horror films: Settle in with your significant other and view Together. This 2025 indie hit recently had its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. At first glance, it may seem like conventional biological terror, but beneath Together lies a intense contemplation about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Debut Feature Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together represents the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for over ten years. United in marriage in real life in 2017, the two stars bring a particular energy to their roles, skillfully embodying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The plot begins when Millie and Tim move from the urban environment to the countryside for professional reasons. A familiar story element, sure, but that’s mostly where the conventions end. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their country house, a tempest descends, and the protagonists tumble into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a strange force starts to affect the couple. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying horror experience, weaving in bits of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes during something grotesque). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and presents them in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and far away from his social circle. He dreads the idea of totally forfeiting his individual identity in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision is that he refrains from painting Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Both characters grapple with the sort of issues that arise in long-term unions over a long period. At their core, they continue to care for one another. They still laugh together, offer support, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these anxieties of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the symbolism does not come across as hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a strong argument for staying single. On the other hand, some couples having disagreements found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could act as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the ending plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply look at your other half and say, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can embark on right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu as of this moment.
