Consider this a dare for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of horror films: Settle in with your loved one and watch Together. The independent film success of 2025 has now made its online premiere on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it could look like conventional biological terror, but inside Together lies a intense contemplation about the ways we decide to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together is the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for a decade. United in marriage in actuality in 2017, the two stars infuse a special spark to their characters, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The story begins when Millie and Tim move from the big city to the country for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical story element, admittedly, but that’s largely where the tropes end. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists fall into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity starts to affect the pair. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a slow burn fright fest, interspersing bits of dreamlike terrors, gross (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes amidst something disturbing). Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is only the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim 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 idea of completely losing his personal autonomy in Millie. 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 avoids making Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie face the sort of issues that arise in any relationship over a long period. At their core, they still love each other. They still laugh together, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these concerns of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to another person, the symbolism does not come across as clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that single viewers have understood the narrative as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, some couples who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending plant anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your significant other and utter, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can undertake right now.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu now.
