Here's a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of scary movies: Settle in with your partner and view Together. This 2025 indie hit just made its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. At first glance, it might appear like standard biological terror, but inside Together lies a intense meditation about our choices in loving our partners.
A Debut Feature Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together marks the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It stars actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for over ten years. Married in reality in 2017, the two stars bring a special spark to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The narrative starts when the couple transition from the big city to the rural area for professional reasons. A commonly used story element, of course, but that’s primarily where the cliches cease. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their country house, a storm hits, and the two tumble into an underground cave. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a strange force begins influencing the duo. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The entire film is a methodically building fright fest, interspersing bits of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and delivers them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
Tim, on the other hand feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and far away from his network of friends. He dreads the idea of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is intensified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision in Together never makes one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
Both characters face the sort of issues that arise in any relationship a decade in. Fundamentally, they continue to care for each other. They still laugh together, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together represent these fears of codependency and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the metaphor does not come across as overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that single viewers have seen the movie as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Conversely, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could function as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the finale plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply look at your other half and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can undertake right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
