Consider this a test for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate the horror genre: Sit down with your partner and watch Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its online premiere on Hulu. On the surface, it may seem like standard body horror, but within Together resides a deep meditation about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together represents the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, partners that have stayed together for over ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, the actors contribute a special spark to their roles, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The plot commences when Millie and Tim relocate from the metropolis to the countryside for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, of course, but that’s largely where the cliches cease. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and the two fall into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a mysterious influence begins influencing the couple. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a slow burn fright fest, interspersing bits of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes amidst something grotesque). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components expertly and delivers them in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is waning due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
Tim, on the other hand experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and distant from his network of friends. He fears the concept of totally forfeiting his sense of self in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for getting around.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he avoids making one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie confront the type of challenges that are inherent in any relationship over a long period. Fundamentally, they continue to care for one another. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these concerns of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the allegory never feels hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. It has been said that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a powerful case for staying single. On the other hand, some couples having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them make up.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could act as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the finale plant anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your other half and say, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can undertake right now.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu at present.
