Here's a challenge for partners in committed relationships who appreciate horror films: Sit down with your partner and stream Together. This 2025 indie hit just made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it might appear like typical physical horror, but inside Together exists a intense contemplation about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, partners that have stayed together for over ten years. Married in real life in 2017, the two stars bring a particular energy to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The story begins when the couple transition from the big city to the country for Millie’s job. A commonly used story element, admittedly, but that’s largely where the cliches end. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the protagonists fall into an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity takes hold of the pair. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a slow burn horror experience, interspersing moments of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and presents them in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his floundering music career gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and distant from his network of friends. He fears the notion of totally forfeiting his individual identity in Millie. This fear is amplified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he avoids making Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Both characters grapple with the kind of problems that arise in any relationship over a long period. At their core, they continue to care for one another. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these fears of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the symbolism never feels hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal work together symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a powerful case for remaining unattached. On the other hand, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply turn to your other half and say, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu now.
