Here's a dare for partners in committed relationships who appreciate horror films: Settle in with your loved one and view Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its online premiere on Hulu. Outwardly, it might appear like conventional physical horror, but within Together resides a deep meditation about the ways we decide to love our partners.
An Introductory Film Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together is the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for ten years. United in marriage in reality in 2017, the two stars contribute a unique chemistry to their characters, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The plot begins when Tim and Millie move from the metropolis to the countryside for her career. A commonly used narrative setup, of course, but that’s primarily where the tropes cease. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their country house, a storm hits, and the protagonists fall into an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a strange force starts to affect the couple. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The whole movie is a slow burn horror experience, interspersing bits of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes during something horrific). The director orchestrates these parts neatly and presents them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his floundering music career inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and removed from his support system. He dreads the concept of completely losing his sense of self in another person. This fear is amplified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he refrains from painting either of his characters the obvious villain.
Both characters face the sort of issues that come with most partnerships over a long period. Fundamentally, they continue to care for each other. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the symbolism avoids being clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. It has been said that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, some couples having disagreements found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your partner and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can undertake right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
