Here's a test for long-term couples who are fans of horror films: Settle in with your loved one and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. At first glance, it might appear like conventional biological terror, but within Together lies a intense meditation about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have been together for over ten years. United in marriage in reality in 2017, the two stars infuse a unique chemistry to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The story begins when the couple move from the metropolis to the countryside for her career. A familiar story element, of course, but that’s primarily where the cliches end. Together transforms into as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and the two tumble into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity starts to affect the pair. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past simple connection.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying horror experience, interspersing bits of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes during something horrific). Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and wraps them up in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A great deal of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and removed from his network of friends. He fears the idea of totally forfeiting his sense of self in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the fact he can’t drive and needs Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie avoids making Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie grapple with the kind of problems that arise in long-term unions a decade in. At their core, they still love one another. They still laugh together, offer support, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these anxieties of codependency and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor does not come across as hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights serve the other in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that single viewers have interpreted the film as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply turn to your other half and state, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can undertake today.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu now.
