Here's a dare for partners in committed relationships who enjoy horror films: Sit down with your significant other and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its online premiere on Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like standard biological terror, but inside Together lies a profound examination about our choices in loving one another.
A Directorial Debut Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together marks the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for over ten years. United in marriage in real life in 2017, the actors bring a special spark to their roles, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The plot begins when Tim and Millie transition from the urban environment to the countryside for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, sure, but that’s largely where the cliches end. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While hiking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the two discover an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a strange force takes hold of the duo. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past simple connection.
The complete narrative is a slow burn of scares, blending bits of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but never too gross) body horror, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes amidst something horrific). Shanks orchestrates these parts seamlessly and delivers them in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Complex Characterizations
A significant portion of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is suffering due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and distant from his support system. He dreads the concept of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together avoids making either of his characters the obvious villain.
The couple grapple with the type of challenges that arise in any relationship over a long period. At their core, they have affection for each other. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these anxieties of codependency and totally devoting oneself to another person, the metaphor does not come across as hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that single viewers have understood the narrative as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the finale plant anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply look at your other half and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can experience right now.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
