Here's a dare for partners in committed relationships who appreciate scary movies: Sit down with your loved one and watch Together. This 2025 indie hit just made its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it might appear like standard physical horror, but beneath Together resides a profound contemplation about our choices in loving our partners.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together represents the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for a decade. Married in real life in 2017, the actors bring a special spark to their roles, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The plot begins when Tim and Millie relocate from the urban environment to the rural area for professional reasons. A familiar story element, sure, but that’s primarily where the conventions end. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While hiking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists discover an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence takes hold of the couple. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a slow burn fright fest, blending elements of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and authentically humorous exchanges (sometimes amidst something grotesque). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and presents them in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and far away from his network of friends. He dreads the idea of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in Millie. This fear is intensified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in Together never makes one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie confront the kind of problems that arise in long-term unions after ten years. Fundamentally, they still love one another. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these anxieties of codependency and fully committing to another person, the metaphor does not come across as overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a perfect parallel 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 codependent relationships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Conversely, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could function as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the finale inspire anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your significant other and utter, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu now.
