We present a challenge for partners in committed relationships who appreciate horror films: Settle in with your partner and view Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its online premiere on Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like standard physical horror, but within Together resides a deep meditation about our choices in loving our partners.
An Introductory Film Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together is the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for ten years. Having wed in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a particular energy to their roles, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The story commences when Tim and Millie move from the big city to the rural area for her career. A commonly used plot device, sure, but that’s mostly where the conventions end. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their country house, a tempest descends, and the two fall into an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity begins influencing the pair. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a slow burn horror experience, blending bits of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but never too gross) physical transformations, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes amidst something horrific). Shanks weaves these elements together neatly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A significant portion of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his floundering music career inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and far away from his social circle. He dreads the notion of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together refrains from painting Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie grapple with the sort of issues that arise in long-term unions over a long period. Deep down, they continue to care for one another. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these concerns of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to another person, the symbolism avoids being clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. Conversely, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the finale sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you identify in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply look at your significant other and utter, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can experience right now.
Together is streaming on the streaming service Hulu now.
