Here's a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy the horror genre: Get comfortable with your partner and view Together. This 2025 indie hit recently had its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. At first glance, it might appear like typical physical horror, but within Together lies a intense meditation about the ways we decide to love each other.
An Introductory Film Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together is the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for a decade. Married in real life in 2017, the two stars infuse a special spark to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The plot commences when Millie and Tim relocate from the big city to the country for her career. A commonly used story element, of course, but that’s largely where the conventions end. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim tumble into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a strange force starts to affect the couple. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying fright fest, interspersing bits of dreamlike terrors, gross (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes amidst something disturbing). Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and delivers them in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and distant from his network of friends. He fears the notion of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in his partner. This fear is intensified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision in Together refrains from painting either of his characters the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie confront the kind of problems that arise in most partnerships a decade in. Deep down, they continue to care for each other. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the otherworldly presence in Together represent these fears of excessive reliance and fully committing to a partner, the symbolism never feels overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that single viewers have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, some couples having disagreements found that the film actually helped them make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could function as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the finale sow anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply look at your other half and state, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can undertake today.
Together is available to watch on Hulu now.
