Consider this a dare for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of scary movies: Settle in with your significant other and stream Together. This 2025 indie hit has now made its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. At first glance, it may seem like conventional body horror, but beneath Together resides a intense contemplation about how we choose to love one another.
A Debut Feature Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together marks the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, partners that have stayed together for a decade. United in marriage in actuality in 2017, the actors bring a special spark to their roles, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The plot commences when Millie and Tim move from the metropolis to the rural area for Millie’s job. A familiar narrative setup, of course, but that’s primarily where the conventions cease. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their new home, a storm hits, and the protagonists fall into an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity takes hold of the pair. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying horror experience, interspersing elements of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous exchanges (sometimes during something disturbing). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together seamlessly and delivers them in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is waning due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and removed from his network of friends. He fears the idea 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 getting around.
The director's cleverest decision in Together never makes one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
Both characters face the kind of problems that arise in most partnerships after ten years. Deep down, they still love each other. They find humor with each other, offer support, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these fears of excessive reliance and fully committing to a partner, the allegory avoids being overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. It has been said that single viewers have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, certain partners having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could function as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply look at your other half and state, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can embark on right now.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
