We present a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy scary movies: Sit down with your loved one and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its streaming debut on Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like standard physical horror, but inside Together lies a profound examination about our choices in loving each other.
A Directorial Debut Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together marks the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, partners that have been together for a decade. Having wed in reality in 2017, the two stars infuse a unique chemistry to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The narrative begins when the couple transition from the big city to the countryside for her career. A commonly used narrative setup, of course, but that’s primarily where the tropes conclude. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and the two tumble into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a strange force takes hold of the couple. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past simple connection.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying horror experience, weaving in bits of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes amidst something horrific). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components neatly and presents them in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and distant from his support system. He is terrified of the concept of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in another person. This fear is amplified by the reality he can’t drive and needs Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie avoids making one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie face the sort of issues that arise in most partnerships after ten years. Deep down, they continue to care for each other. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these fears of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor does not come across as hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for staying single. Meanwhile, 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 function as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your significant other and utter, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can experience at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
