Here's a test for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy horror films: Sit down with your loved one and view Together. This 2025 indie hit just made its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it might appear like typical body horror, but inside Together resides a deep meditation about how we choose to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together is the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have stayed together for a decade. United in marriage in reality in 2017, the actors contribute a special spark to their roles, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The narrative begins when Millie and Tim relocate from the metropolis to the rural area for her career. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, sure, but that’s largely where the cliches cease. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their new home, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim fall into an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a strange force starts to affect the duo. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The whole movie is a methodically building of scares, blending moments of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes during something grotesque). The director orchestrates these parts neatly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A significant portion of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and removed from his support system. He fears the concept of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision in Together never makes one partner or the other the obvious villain.
The couple grapple with the sort of issues that are inherent in long-term unions after ten years. Deep down, they continue to care for each other. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these concerns of codependency and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor never feels overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for staying single. Meanwhile, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could function as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your partner and utter, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can undertake right now.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu at present.
