We present a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy scary movies: Sit down with your significant other and view Together. The 2025 indie hit just made its online premiere on Hulu. On the surface, it may seem like conventional biological terror, but within Together resides a deep contemplation about how we choose to love one another.
A Debut Feature Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together represents the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have stayed together for a decade. Married in reality in 2017, the actors bring a special spark to their roles, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The story begins when Millie and Tim move from the urban environment to the countryside for her career. A commonly used story element, admittedly, but that’s largely where the cliches conclude. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the pair’s relationship as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists fall into an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a strange force starts to affect the couple. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a slow burn horror experience, weaving in bits of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but never too gross) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes during something disturbing). Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and presents them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they deftly portray countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
Tim, on the other hand senses confinement and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and distant from his social circle. He fears the concept of completely losing his sense of self in Millie. This fear is amplified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision in Together never makes either of his characters the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie confront the sort of issues that come with any relationship a decade in. At their core, they continue to care for each other. They still laugh together, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these concerns of codependency and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor never feels overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ultimately assisted them make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could act as a telling indicator of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion plant anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your other half and say, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can undertake right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform now.
