We present a test for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate the horror genre: Settle in with your loved one and view Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its online premiere on Hulu. At first glance, it might appear like standard biological terror, but within Together exists a deep contemplation about how we choose to love each other.
An Introductory Film Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together is the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for a decade. Having wed in actuality in 2017, the actors infuse a unique chemistry to their characters, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The narrative commences when Millie and Tim relocate from the big city to the countryside for her career. A somewhat stereotypical story element, of course, but that’s mostly where the tropes cease. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists fall into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a strange force starts to affect the pair. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The entire film is a slow burn of scares, interspersing moments of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes during something horrific). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and delivers them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A significant portion of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his floundering music career inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and far away from his network of friends. He is terrified of the concept of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is amplified by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he avoids making one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
The couple confront the type of challenges that arise in any relationship over a long period. Fundamentally, they have affection for one another. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor never feels overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could function as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the ending sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in one of the characters and yell at the screen, or simply look at your significant other and say, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can undertake right now.
Together is currently playing on Hulu now.
