We present a dare for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy the horror genre: Settle in with your significant other and view Together. This 2025 indie hit recently had its streaming debut via Hulu. At first glance, it may seem like conventional physical horror, but inside Together lies a intense meditation about how we choose to love one another.
An Introductory Film Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together is the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have remained a couple for over ten years. Having wed in real life in 2017, the actors infuse a unique chemistry to their characters, skillfully embodying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The plot commences when Tim and Millie transition from the urban environment to the countryside for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the tropes conclude. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the protagonists fall into an underground cave. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence starts to affect the pair. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The entire film is a methodically building of scares, interspersing moments of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes during something grotesque). The director skillfully blends these components seamlessly and delivers them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
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 deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and distant from his social circle. He fears the concept of totally forfeiting his sense of self in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the fact he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he never makes one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
Both characters face the sort of issues that arise in long-term unions a decade in. Deep down, they continue to care for each other. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these concerns of excessive reliance and fully committing to a partner, the metaphor avoids being overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights work together in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a powerful case for staying single. Meanwhile, some couples experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could act as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending inspire anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your partner and state, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can undertake right now.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
