We present a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate horror films: Sit down with your significant other and view Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. Outwardly, it might appear like conventional physical horror, but within Together lies a profound contemplation about how we choose to love each other.
An Introductory Film Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together marks the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, the two stars infuse a special spark to their roles, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The narrative begins when the couple transition from the metropolis to the rural area for her career. A familiar plot device, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the tropes conclude. Together transforms into as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and the two tumble into an underground cave. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence starts to affect the pair. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a slow burn of scares, weaving in bits of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous exchanges (sometimes during something grotesque). Shanks skillfully blends these components expertly and presents them in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and far away from his social circle. He is terrified of the concept of totally forfeiting his sense of self in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie refrains from painting one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Both characters grapple with the type of challenges that are inherent in long-term unions a decade in. Fundamentally, they still love each other. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the metaphor avoids being hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a powerful case for staying single. Meanwhile, some couples having disagreements found that the film actually helped them make up.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could function as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion sow anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply look at your partner and state, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can undertake today.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu at present.
