Here's a dare for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy the horror genre: Settle in with your significant other and watch Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it might appear like standard body horror, but beneath Together exists a profound contemplation about how we choose to love each other.
An Introductory Film Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together is the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It showcases actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Millie and Tim, partners that have stayed together for ten years. United in marriage in actuality in 2017, the two stars bring a particular energy to their roles, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The story starts when Millie and Tim transition from the metropolis to the country for professional reasons. A commonly used narrative setup, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the conventions conclude. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the two tumble into an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity starts to affect the pair. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying of scares, interspersing moments of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but never too gross) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and presents them in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and removed from his network of friends. He dreads the concept of totally forfeiting his sense of self in his partner. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect in this movie refrains from painting Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
The couple confront the kind of problems that are inherent in any relationship over a long period. At their core, they still love one another. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these anxieties of codependency and fully committing to a partner, the symbolism never feels overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the finale plant anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply turn to your partner and state, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can experience today.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu now.
