We present a challenge for long-term couples who are fans of the horror genre: Settle in with your significant other and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its online premiere via Hulu. Outwardly, it could look like standard biological terror, but inside Together lies a deep meditation about our choices in loving our partners.
An Introductory Film Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together represents the introductory feature 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 ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a special spark to their characters, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The story commences when Tim and Millie relocate from the big city to the rural area for Millie’s job. A familiar narrative setup, sure, but that’s largely where the conventions cease. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their country house, a storm hits, and the two tumble into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence starts to affect the duo. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The whole movie is a methodically building of scares, interspersing moments of fever-dream horrors, gross (but tastefully done) body horror, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes during something grotesque). Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is only the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and far away from his network of friends. He dreads the concept of completely losing his individual identity in another person. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he can’t drive and needs Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie refrains from painting one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie confront the type of challenges that come with any relationship over a long period. Fundamentally, they still love one another. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the symbolism does not come across as clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film actually helped them make up.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the ending inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your other half and say, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu at present.
