We present a test for partners in committed relationships who appreciate horror films: Sit down with your partner and view Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its online premiere on Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like conventional biological terror, but inside Together lies a intense meditation about how we choose to love each other.
A Debut Feature Investigating Partnership Complexities
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, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a particular energy to their roles, skillfully embodying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The plot commences when Millie and Tim move from the metropolis to the rural area for Millie’s job. A commonly used plot device, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the tropes cease. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the protagonists fall into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a strange force starts to affect the duo. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The entire film is a methodically building horror experience, interspersing bits of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous exchanges (sometimes amidst something disturbing). Shanks weaves these elements together seamlessly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is only the two lead actors, and they deftly portray countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is suffering due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his floundering music career gradually emerges.
Tim, on the other hand senses confinement and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and removed from his network of friends. He dreads the notion of completely losing his individual identity in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision is that he refrains from painting one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
Both characters face the sort of issues that come with any relationship a decade in. At their core, they have affection for each other. They find humor with each other, offer support, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of excessive reliance and fully committing to another person, the symbolism does not come across as hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama work together symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. It has been said that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a strong argument for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, some couples having disagreements found that the film actually helped them make up.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your significant other and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can experience today.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu now.
