We present a dare for long-term couples who are fans of the horror genre: Settle in with your significant other and watch Together. The 2025 indie hit just made its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. At first glance, it might appear like conventional body horror, but inside Together exists a intense meditation about how we choose to love our partners.
An Introductory Film Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together represents the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, partners that have been together for ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, the two stars contribute a particular energy to their roles, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The story begins when Tim and Millie move from the urban environment to the country for her career. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the cliches end. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their country house, a storm hits, and the protagonists discover an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence takes hold of the pair. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding simple connection.
The whole movie is a slow burn horror experience, weaving in moments of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and delivers them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and removed from his network of friends. He is terrified of the concept of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is intensified by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together avoids making Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
Both characters grapple with the sort of issues that are inherent in any relationship over a long period. Fundamentally, they still love one another. They still laugh together, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to another person, the metaphor does not come across as overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a brilliant analogue to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. It has been said that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, some couples experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the ending inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply look at your significant other and state, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can undertake today.
Together is streaming on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
