Here's a dare for partners in committed relationships who appreciate horror films: Sit down with your loved one and watch Together. This 2025 indie hit has now made its online premiere on Hulu. Outwardly, it could look like standard biological terror, but beneath Together resides a deep contemplation about the ways we decide to love each other.
A Debut Feature Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together represents the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have been together for over ten years. United in marriage in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a unique chemistry to their roles, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The narrative begins when Millie and Tim relocate from the metropolis to the countryside for professional reasons. A familiar story element, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the cliches cease. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim fall into an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity takes hold of the pair. This force creates a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The whole movie is a slow burn horror experience, blending moments of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes amidst something grotesque). Shanks weaves these elements together neatly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and distant from his network of friends. He dreads the concept of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is intensified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together avoids making one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
The couple confront the sort of issues that arise in most partnerships after ten years. Fundamentally, they continue to care for one another. They share moments of joy, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these fears of codependency and giving oneself over to a partner, the symbolism does not come across as clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. It has been said that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. Conversely, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion plant anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and yell at the screen, or simply look at your significant other and utter, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can undertake right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform at present.
