Here's a test for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of scary movies: Sit down with your significant other and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. Outwardly, it could look like standard physical horror, but inside Together lies a deep contemplation about our choices in loving our partners.
A Directorial Debut 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, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for ten years. Married in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a particular energy to their characters, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a enduring union.
The narrative begins when Millie and Tim transition from the big city to the countryside for professional reasons. A commonly used plot device, admittedly, but that’s largely where the cliches cease. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim fall into an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a strange force begins influencing the pair. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying fright fest, interspersing bits of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous exchanges (sometimes amidst something horrific). The director orchestrates these parts seamlessly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and sense of connection is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and removed from his support system. He dreads the idea of completely losing his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he can’t drive and needs Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision is that he never makes either of his characters the clear bad guy.
Both characters face the type of challenges that come with long-term unions after ten years. Deep down, they continue to care for each other. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these concerns of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to another person, the symbolism avoids being clumsy or self-important. Instead, these visceral horror elements offer a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Conversely, some couples experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could act as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the ending sow anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your other half and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can embark on right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform at present.
