Consider this a dare for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of horror films: Sit down with your significant other and watch Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. At first glance, it could look like standard physical horror, but inside Together exists a deep meditation about how we choose to love each other.
An Introductory Film Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together marks the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have remained a couple for a decade. United in marriage in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a particular energy to their roles, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The plot begins when Millie and Tim move from the urban environment to the rural area for professional reasons. A commonly used plot device, sure, but that’s primarily where the tropes end. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While hiking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and the two fall into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity starts to affect the pair. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The whole movie is a slow burn fright fest, blending bits of fever-dream horrors, gross (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes during something grotesque). Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his floundering music career gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and removed from his social circle. He dreads the notion of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in Millie. This fear is amplified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he never makes either of his characters the obvious villain.
The couple confront the sort of issues that arise in any relationship over a long period. Deep down, they still love each other. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these concerns of excessive reliance and fully committing to a partner, the symbolism does not come across as overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights serve the other in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. It has been said that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the finale sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your significant other and say, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can experience today.
Together is streaming on the streaming service Hulu at present.
