Here's a dare for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of the horror genre: Sit down with your partner and view Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. On the surface, it may seem like conventional physical horror, but beneath Together lies a deep contemplation about the ways we decide to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together is the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have been together for over ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, the actors infuse a unique chemistry to their characters, skillfully embodying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The narrative commences when Millie and Tim transition from the big city to the country for Millie’s job. A commonly used plot device, admittedly, but that’s largely where the tropes end. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their country house, a tempest descends, and the protagonists fall into an underground cave. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a strange force begins influencing the duo. This force creates a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The whole movie is a slow burn of scares, blending moments of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes during something horrific). The director weaves these elements together seamlessly and presents them in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and distant from his social circle. He is terrified of the concept of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the fact he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie refrains from painting either of his characters the definite antagonist.
Both characters face the type of challenges that come with long-term unions over a long period. Fundamentally, they continue to care for each other. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together represent these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor avoids being overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the finale inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your partner and state, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can experience at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform now.
