Here's a dare for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate scary movies: Get comfortable with your partner and view Together. This 2025 indie hit just made its streaming debut on Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like conventional physical horror, but beneath Together exists a deep contemplation about how we choose to love each other.
An Introductory Film Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together is the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have been together for ten years. Married in reality in 2017, the actors bring a special spark to their characters, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The narrative begins when Tim and Millie relocate from the metropolis to the countryside for Millie’s job. A familiar plot device, of course, but that’s mostly where the cliches cease. Together transforms into as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the two discover an underground cave. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a strange force begins influencing the couple. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a slow burn horror experience, blending elements of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Shanks skillfully blends these components neatly and delivers them in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is waning due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his floundering music career gradually emerges.
Tim, on the other hand feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and distant from his support system. He fears the notion of totally forfeiting his sense of self in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he can’t drive and relies on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision is that he avoids making either of his characters the clear bad guy.
Both characters confront the type of challenges that are inherent in most partnerships a decade in. Fundamentally, they continue to care for one another. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to another person, the symbolism never feels overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a strong argument for remaining unattached. On the other hand, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your significant other and utter, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can experience right now.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
