Consider this a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate horror films: Settle in with your partner and view Together. This 2025 indie hit just made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. At first glance, it could look like standard physical horror, but inside Together exists a profound meditation about our choices in loving our partners.
A Directorial Debut Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together represents the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for over ten years. Having wed in real life in 2017, the actors bring a particular energy to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a enduring union.
The plot commences when the couple move from the urban environment to the rural area for her career. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, admittedly, but that’s largely where the conventions cease. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim discover an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity takes hold of the couple. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying fright fest, blending bits of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes amidst something horrific). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together seamlessly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and removed from his network of friends. He dreads the concept of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision is that he refrains from painting either of his characters the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie grapple with the type of challenges that arise in long-term unions over a long period. Deep down, they still love one another. They find humor with each other, offer support, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these concerns of codependency and totally devoting oneself to another person, the symbolism does not come across as overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama work together in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. Accounts suggest that single viewers have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for staying single. On the other hand, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could act as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your significant other and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is streaming on the streaming service Hulu at present.
