Here's a challenge for partners in committed relationships who enjoy scary movies: Get comfortable with your significant other and watch Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. On the surface, it may seem like typical body horror, but beneath Together resides a intense meditation about how we choose to love each other.
An Introductory Film Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together represents the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have been together for ten years. Having wed in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a special spark to their characters, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The story starts when Tim and Millie relocate from the urban environment to the country for her career. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, sure, but that’s mostly where the conventions cease. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and the protagonists tumble into an underground cave. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a strange force takes hold of the couple. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The entire film is a methodically building horror experience, weaving in bits of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but never too gross) physical transformations, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes amidst something horrific). The director orchestrates these parts seamlessly and presents them in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and far away from his social circle. He dreads the idea of completely losing his sense of self in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he can’t drive and relies on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together refrains from painting Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
The couple grapple with the kind of problems that arise in most partnerships over a long period. At their core, they continue to care for one another. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to another person, the metaphor does not come across as hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that single viewers have understood the narrative as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. Conversely, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion sow anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your significant other and state, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can undertake right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu now.
