We present a challenge for long-term couples who enjoy horror films: Sit down with your significant other and view Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its online premiere on Hulu. Outwardly, it might appear like standard physical horror, but inside Together lies a deep examination about the ways we decide to love each other.
A Directorial Debut Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for ten years. United in marriage in real life in 2017, the actors bring a special spark to their roles, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The plot commences when the couple relocate from the metropolis to the rural area for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, of course, but that’s largely where the tropes end. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim tumble into an underground cave. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a strange force begins influencing the pair. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a methodically building of scares, blending moments of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes during something disturbing). Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and far away from his social circle. He dreads the notion of totally forfeiting his sense of self in his partner. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
The film's most intelligent aspect in Together never makes Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
The couple confront the sort of issues that are inherent in most partnerships over a long period. Deep down, they continue to care for each other. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these concerns of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to a partner, the symbolism never feels clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for staying single. Meanwhile, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could act as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply look at your significant other and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can undertake today.
Together is streaming on Hulu at present.
