We present a dare for long-term couples who enjoy the horror genre: Sit down with your loved one and view Together. This 2025 indie hit recently had its streaming debut on the Hulu service. At first glance, it might appear like typical biological terror, but within Together resides a profound meditation about our choices in loving each other.
A Directorial Debut Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, partners that have remained a couple for over ten years. Married in real life in 2017, the actors infuse a unique chemistry to their characters, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The story begins when Tim and Millie relocate from the metropolis to the rural area for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the conventions conclude. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and the two discover an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a strange force takes hold of the couple. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding simple connection.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying of scares, interspersing moments of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but tastefully done) body horror, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components expertly and delivers them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and far away from his network of friends. He fears the notion of totally forfeiting his individual identity in another person. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision is that he avoids making one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie face the type of challenges that are inherent in any relationship over a long period. Deep down, they have affection for each other. They still laugh together, offer support, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to another person, the symbolism does not come across as overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama work together in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that single viewers have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for staying single. Meanwhile, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your significant other and say, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can undertake right now.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform now.
