Here's a dare for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of the horror genre: Sit down with your partner and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit just made its streaming debut via Hulu. At first glance, it could look like conventional biological terror, but beneath Together exists a profound examination about the ways we decide to love each other.
A Directorial Debut Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together marks the first full-length movie 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 ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, the two stars bring a special spark to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The plot begins when the couple relocate from the metropolis to the rural area for her career. A commonly used narrative setup, of course, but that’s largely where the conventions cease. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and the two tumble into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity takes hold of the pair. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a slow burn fright fest, interspersing moments of fever-dream horrors, gross (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Shanks weaves these elements together neatly and delivers them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is suffering due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his floundering music career inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and distant from his social circle. He fears the notion of totally forfeiting his sense of self in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the fact he can’t drive and needs Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie refrains from painting either of his characters the obvious villain.
Both characters confront the sort of issues that come with most partnerships a decade in. Fundamentally, they still love one another. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together represent these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor never feels clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could function as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply look at your other half and say, “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 at present.
