Here's a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of the horror genre: Settle in with your loved one and view Together. This 2025 indie hit has now made its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like standard body horror, but beneath Together resides a deep examination about our choices in loving our partners.
A Debut Feature Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together is the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It showcases actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, partners that have remained a couple for ten years. Married in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a unique chemistry to their roles, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The plot begins when the couple transition from the metropolis to the rural area for Millie’s job. A familiar narrative setup, of course, 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 trekking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and the two tumble into an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity begins influencing the couple. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying fright fest, weaving in bits of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes amidst something grotesque). The director weaves these elements together expertly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his floundering music career gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and far away from his support system. He is terrified of the idea of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together avoids making either of his characters the obvious villain.
The couple grapple with the kind of problems that are inherent in most partnerships a decade in. At their core, they continue to care for each other. They find humor with each other, offer support, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these concerns of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to another person, the symbolism avoids being overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements offer a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. Accounts suggest that single viewers have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Conversely, certain partners having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you think about commitment. Will the finale plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply turn to your other half and state, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is streaming on Hulu as of this moment.
