We present a test for partners in committed relationships who enjoy scary movies: Settle in with your significant other and view Together. This 2025 indie hit recently had its online premiere on the Hulu service. On the surface, it may seem like conventional physical horror, but within Together lies a deep contemplation about the ways we decide to love each other.
A Debut Feature Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together is the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have remained a couple for ten years. Married in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a unique chemistry to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The plot begins when the couple relocate from the urban environment to the countryside for professional reasons. A familiar plot device, sure, but that’s mostly where the cliches end. Together transforms into as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and the two discover an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a strange force takes hold of the couple. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The whole movie is a methodically building horror experience, weaving in elements of fever-dream horrors, gross (but tastefully done) body horror, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes amidst something grotesque). The director skillfully blends these components neatly and presents them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A great deal of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is suffering due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and distant from his network of friends. He is terrified of the notion of completely losing his individual identity in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the fact he can’t drive and needs Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he avoids making Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Both characters grapple with the sort of issues that come with long-term unions a decade in. Deep down, they still love one another. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these concerns of codependency and totally devoting oneself to another person, the allegory does not come across as clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama serve the other symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Conversely, some couples having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the finale sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply look at your significant other and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can experience right now.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform at present.
