Consider this a test for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of the horror genre: Sit down with your partner and watch Together. This 2025 indie hit has now made its streaming debut on Hulu. On the surface, it could look like conventional biological terror, but inside Together exists a profound meditation about our choices in loving one another.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together is the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have remained a couple for ten years. United in marriage in actuality in 2017, the actors infuse a special spark to their roles, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The story begins when Millie and Tim relocate from the metropolis to the countryside for Millie’s job. A familiar story element, sure, but that’s largely where the conventions conclude. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the protagonists discover an underground cave. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a strange force takes hold of the pair. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a slow burn of scares, blending moments of dreamlike terrors, gross (but tastefully done) body horror, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes amidst something disturbing). The director skillfully blends these components neatly and presents them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is only the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and removed from his support system. He fears the concept of completely losing his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he avoids making either of his characters the obvious villain.
Both characters grapple with the type of challenges that are inherent in long-term unions a decade in. At their core, they continue to care for each other. They share moments of joy, offer support, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these concerns of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to another person, the symbolism never feels clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, some couples experiencing tension found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could act as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale inspire anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your significant other and say, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can undertake today.
Together is streaming on Hulu at present.
