Here's a dare for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy horror films: Sit down with your significant other and stream Together. This 2025 indie hit recently had its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. At first glance, it may seem like typical body horror, but inside Together lies a profound meditation about how we choose to love one another.
A Debut Feature Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together represents the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It stars actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, partners that have been together for a decade. United in marriage in reality in 2017, the two stars bring a particular energy to their characters, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The narrative commences when Millie and Tim move from the metropolis to the rural area for professional reasons. A commonly used plot device, of course, but that’s largely where the tropes end. Together transforms into as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim tumble into an underground cave. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a strange force begins influencing the duo. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a slow burn of scares, interspersing elements of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and wraps them up in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and far away from his social circle. He dreads the concept of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he can’t drive and relies on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together refrains from painting one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
The couple grapple with the kind of problems that are inherent in most partnerships after ten years. Deep down, they have affection for each other. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to another person, the allegory does not come across as clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. It has been said that single viewers have understood the narrative as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could act as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the ending sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your significant other and state, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
