Here's a dare for partners in committed relationships who appreciate the horror genre: Settle in with your significant other and view Together. This 2025 indie hit has now made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. On the surface, it may seem like standard biological terror, but inside Together resides a deep contemplation about our choices in loving our partners.
A Directorial Debut Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together represents the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for ten years. Having wed in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a unique chemistry to their characters, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The story commences when Tim and Millie move from the big city to the country for her career. A familiar narrative setup, of course, but that’s primarily where the tropes end. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the two fall into an underground cave. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity begins influencing the pair. This force creates a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a slow burn of scares, blending moments of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but tastefully done) body horror, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes during something grotesque). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and presents them in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and distant from his network of friends. He dreads the notion of completely losing his individual identity in his partner. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision is that he never makes Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
The couple confront the sort of issues that arise in any relationship over a long period. Deep down, they continue to care for one another. They still laugh together, provide solace, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these concerns of codependency and fully committing to another person, the metaphor does not come across as clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a brilliant analogue to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that single viewers have interpreted the film as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, some couples experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could act as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the finale plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your partner and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can experience at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on Hulu now.
