Consider this a test for partners in committed relationships who enjoy the horror genre: Get comfortable with your loved one and watch Together. This 2025 indie hit has now made its online premiere on Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like standard biological terror, but beneath Together lies a deep meditation about how we choose to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have been together for a decade. United in marriage in real life in 2017, the actors bring a special spark to their roles, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The story starts when the couple transition from the urban environment to the country for Millie’s job. A commonly used plot device, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the tropes end. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their country house, a storm hits, and the protagonists discover an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence begins influencing the duo. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a slow burn fright fest, interspersing moments of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but never too gross) physical transformations, and authentically humorous exchanges (sometimes amidst something grotesque). The director weaves these elements together expertly and delivers them in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and removed from his network of friends. He dreads the idea of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the fact he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision is that he refrains from painting one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
The couple confront the type of challenges that arise in most partnerships a decade in. At their core, they continue to care for one another. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these concerns of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to another person, the metaphor never feels overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a powerful case for staying single. Meanwhile, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could function as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion sow anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your partner and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can experience right now.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu now.
