We present a dare for partners in committed relationships who enjoy the horror genre: Settle in with your significant other and view Together. The 2025 indie hit just made its streaming debut on Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like conventional body horror, but within Together resides a profound examination about our choices in loving each other.
An Introductory Film Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for ten years. United in marriage in reality in 2017, the actors contribute a unique chemistry to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The story starts when Millie and Tim move from the urban environment to the countryside for Millie’s job. A familiar plot device, admittedly, but that’s largely where the conventions conclude. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim tumble into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence begins influencing the couple. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying of scares, weaving in elements of dreamlike terrors, gross (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes during something grotesque). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together seamlessly and delivers them in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Complex Characterizations
A significant portion of Together is only the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and far away from his network of friends. He dreads the idea of totally forfeiting his sense of self in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the fact he can’t drive and relies on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie never makes either of his characters the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie grapple with the sort of issues that come with any relationship a decade in. Deep down, they still love one another. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to a partner, the symbolism does not come across as clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama work together in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that single viewers have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for staying single. Meanwhile, certain partners having disagreements found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion plant anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your other half and state, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can experience at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform at present.
