Consider this a dare for partners in committed relationships who are fans of horror films: Sit down with your significant other and view Together. The 2025 indie hit just made its online premiere via Hulu. On the surface, it may seem like typical physical horror, but beneath Together lies a deep contemplation about how we choose to love our partners.
An Introductory Film Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together marks the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have been together for a decade. United in marriage in actuality in 2017, the actors infuse a special spark to their roles, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The story starts when the couple move from the big city to the countryside for Millie’s job. A familiar story element, of course, but that’s mostly where the tropes conclude. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their country house, a tempest descends, and the protagonists tumble into an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence starts to affect the duo. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past simple connection.
The whole movie is a methodically building of scares, blending elements of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous exchanges (sometimes amidst something disturbing). Shanks weaves these elements together neatly and presents them in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers 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 unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and far away from his support system. He dreads the concept of totally forfeiting his individual identity in another person. This fear is amplified by the fact he can’t drive and relies on Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together never makes either of his characters the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie grapple with the sort of issues that come with most partnerships after ten years. Fundamentally, they still love one another. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these concerns of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to another person, the metaphor never feels hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. On the other hand, some couples experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your significant other and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can embark on today.
Together is available to watch on Hulu at present.