Here's a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy the horror genre: Settle in with your partner and view Together. The independent film success of 2025 recently had its online premiere via Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like standard physical horror, but within Together lies a deep meditation about our choices in loving our partners.
An Introductory Film Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for ten years. Having wed in actuality in 2017, the actors contribute a unique chemistry to their roles, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The story commences when the couple move from the urban environment to the country for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, sure, but that’s largely where the cliches end. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While hiking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists fall into an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence begins influencing the couple. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The entire film is a slow burn fright fest, blending bits of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). The director weaves these elements together neatly and presents them in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and removed from his network of friends. He fears the idea of completely losing his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is amplified by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie never makes Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
The couple face the kind of problems that arise in any relationship after ten years. Deep down, they continue to care for each other. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these concerns of codependency and giving oneself over to another person, the symbolism avoids being clumsy or self-important. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that single viewers have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Conversely, some couples who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them make up.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could act as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion sow anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your significant other and say, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can undertake today.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
