We present a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate horror films: Settle in with your significant other and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. At first glance, it could look like typical physical horror, but beneath Together exists a deep examination about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Debut Feature Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together represents the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for a decade. Married in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a particular energy to their characters, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The story starts when Tim and Millie move from the urban environment to the countryside for Millie’s job. A familiar story element, 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.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the protagonists discover an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a strange force begins influencing the couple. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying horror experience, blending bits of fever-dream horrors, gross (but tastefully done) body horror, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes amidst something horrific). Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. 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 pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and far away from his network of friends. He dreads the notion of totally forfeiting his individual identity in Millie. This fear is amplified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision is that he refrains from painting either of his characters the obvious villain.
The couple confront the type of challenges that arise in any relationship a decade in. At their core, they continue to care for each other. They share moments of joy, offer support, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these concerns of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to another person, the symbolism never feels overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Conversely, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could act as a telling indicator of how you think about commitment. Will the finale sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your partner and say, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can embark on today.
Together is currently playing on Hulu now.
