Consider this a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy horror films: Settle in with your loved one and view Together. This 2025 indie hit recently had its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. On the surface, it might appear like typical physical horror, but inside Together resides a intense contemplation about how we choose to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together is the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for over ten years. Married in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a special spark to their roles, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The narrative commences when Millie and Tim transition from the big city to the country for Millie’s job. A commonly used plot device, of course, but that’s primarily where the tropes conclude. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and the two fall into an underground cave. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence begins influencing the couple. This force creates a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The whole movie is a slow burn horror experience, interspersing elements of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes during something disturbing). Shanks skillfully blends these components expertly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and far away from his social circle. He fears the idea of completely losing his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is amplified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he refrains from painting Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
The couple face the type of challenges that are inherent in most partnerships over a long period. At their core, they continue to care for each other. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these concerns of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to another person, the symbolism never feels hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a powerful case for staying single. Conversely, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could act as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the ending inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your significant other and say, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is streaming on Hulu at present.
