Consider this a dare for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate the horror genre: Sit down with your significant other and stream Together. This 2025 indie hit just made its online premiere on Hulu. On the surface, it could look like conventional physical horror, but beneath Together exists a deep meditation about how we choose to love our partners.
A Directorial Debut Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have remained a couple for a decade. Having wed in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a special spark to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The plot begins when Tim and Millie move from the big city to the country for her career. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, of course, but that’s largely where the cliches end. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their country house, a tempest descends, and the two discover an underground cave. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence starts to affect the pair. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying of scares, weaving in moments of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes during something horrific). Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and wraps them up in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A great deal of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, 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 hesitance to focus on anything other than his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and distant from his social circle. He is terrified of the concept of completely losing his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is intensified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in Together refrains from painting either of his characters the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie confront the kind of problems that arise in long-term unions over a long period. Fundamentally, they have affection for one another. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to another person, the allegory avoids being clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. It has been said that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, 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 potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the ending plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your partner and say, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can experience right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu now.
