Consider this a test for long-term couples who are fans of the horror genre: Settle in with your significant other and watch Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its online premiere on the Hulu service. On the surface, it could look like conventional physical horror, but within Together exists a deep meditation about the ways we decide to love our partners.
A Directorial Debut Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together is the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars 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, Franco and Brie contribute a particular energy to their characters, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The narrative starts when Millie and Tim relocate from the metropolis to the rural area for her career. A commonly used narrative setup, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the tropes cease. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and the two discover an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity takes hold of the pair. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying horror experience, blending bits of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes amidst something grotesque). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components expertly and wraps them up in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is only the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and removed from his social circle. He is terrified of the idea of totally forfeiting his individual identity in his partner. This fear is intensified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie refrains from painting either of his characters the obvious villain.
Both characters face the sort of issues that come with long-term unions over a long period. Fundamentally, they continue to care for each other. They find humor with each other, offer support, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of codependency and fully committing to a partner, the symbolism does not come across as hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Conversely, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could act as a telling indicator of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion inspire anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply look at your significant other and say, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can experience at this very moment.
Together is streaming on Hulu at present.
