Consider this a test for long-term couples who appreciate horror films: Get comfortable with your significant other and watch Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie recently had its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it might appear like conventional physical horror, but within Together resides a profound examination about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Debut Feature Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together is the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It showcases actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for a decade. Having wed in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a unique chemistry to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The plot commences when the couple transition from the metropolis to the rural area for her career. A commonly used plot device, sure, but that’s largely where the conventions conclude. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the partnership as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their country house, a storm hits, and the two fall into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a strange force takes hold of the pair. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a methodically building horror experience, blending bits of dreamlike terrors, gross (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Shanks skillfully blends these components expertly and delivers them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is only the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and sense of connection is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and removed from his network of friends. He dreads the idea of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect in Together avoids making Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie face the sort of issues that come with long-term unions a decade in. Deep down, they still love one another. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the symbolism does not come across as clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships 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 resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could act as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the ending sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your other half and state, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can undertake right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform now.
