Here's a test for partners in committed relationships who enjoy horror films: Sit down with your loved one and watch Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its streaming debut via Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like standard biological terror, but beneath Together resides a intense contemplation about our choices in loving one another.
A Directorial Debut Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together is the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have stayed together for ten years. United in marriage in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a special spark to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The narrative begins when Tim and Millie move from the big city to the country for her career. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, of course, but that’s mostly where the conventions cease. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim fall into an underground cave. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a strange force starts to affect the couple. This force creates a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding simple connection.
The complete narrative is a slow burn of scares, interspersing elements of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes amidst something disturbing). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components expertly and delivers them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is waning due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and removed from his network of friends. He fears the idea of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in Millie. This fear is amplified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision is that he never makes one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie grapple with the sort of issues that are inherent in long-term unions a decade in. Fundamentally, they still love each other. They share moments of joy, offer support, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of codependency and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor avoids being overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements offer a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Conversely, some couples having disagreements found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could function as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the finale plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply turn to your significant other and utter, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can experience at this very moment.
Together is streaming on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
