Here's a dare for partners in committed relationships who appreciate the horror genre: Settle in with your loved one and watch Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. At first glance, it might appear like typical physical horror, but within Together lies a deep contemplation about the ways we decide to love each other.
An Introductory Film Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together represents the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for a decade. Having wed in real life in 2017, the two stars infuse a particular energy to their characters, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The narrative commences when the couple move from the big city to the countryside for her career. A commonly used narrative setup, sure, but that’s mostly where the tropes end. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the protagonists fall into an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a strange force takes hold of the couple. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a methodically building of scares, blending bits of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but tastefully done) body horror, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and delivers them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and removed from his network of friends. He fears the concept of totally forfeiting his sense of self in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he avoids making either of his characters the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie grapple with the sort of issues that are inherent in any relationship after ten years. At their core, they continue to care for each other. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these fears of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the metaphor never feels hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. It has been said that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. Conversely, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could function as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the finale plant anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your other half and state, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can undertake right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform at present.
