Here's a dare for long-term couples who appreciate the horror genre: Settle in with your significant other and view Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its streaming debut on the Hulu service. On the surface, it could look like conventional biological terror, but beneath Together resides a intense examination about the ways we decide to love our partners.
An Introductory Film Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together represents the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for a decade. Married in reality in 2017, the two stars bring a particular energy to their characters, skillfully embodying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The plot commences when Millie and Tim relocate from the metropolis to the countryside for professional reasons. A familiar story element, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the cliches cease. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and the two fall into an underground cave. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence starts to affect the couple. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying horror experience, weaving in moments of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes amidst something horrific). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is suffering due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and distant from his social circle. He is terrified of the concept of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie avoids making either of his characters the definite antagonist.
Both characters grapple with the type of challenges that come with any relationship a decade in. Fundamentally, they continue to care for one another. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to a partner, the metaphor avoids being clumsy or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that single viewers have seen the movie as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, some couples who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could act as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the finale inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your significant other and utter, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can experience right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform now.
