Here's a test for partners in committed relationships who are fans of the horror genre: Get comfortable with your partner and view Together. The 2025 indie hit just made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it could look like conventional biological terror, but inside Together resides a profound meditation about how we choose to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together represents the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for ten years. Having wed in real life in 2017, the actors contribute a unique chemistry to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The story begins when the couple relocate from the urban environment to the rural area for Millie’s job. A familiar story element, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the conventions conclude. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their new home, a storm hits, and the two tumble into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a mysterious influence takes hold of the pair. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a slow burn horror experience, interspersing bits of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). The director orchestrates these parts expertly and delivers them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A significant portion of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his floundering music career inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and far away from his network of friends. He fears the concept of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in his partner. This fear is intensified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect in Together never makes either of his characters the definite antagonist.
Both characters grapple with the type of challenges that are inherent in most partnerships over a long period. Fundamentally, they still love each other. They find humor with each other, offer support, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these fears of codependency and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the allegory does not come across as overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama work together in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a strong argument for staying single. On the other hand, some couples experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the ending sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply look at your partner and state, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can embark on right now.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform at present.
