Here's a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy horror films: Settle in with your partner and view Together. This 2025 indie hit recently had its streaming debut on the Hulu service. At first glance, it may seem like conventional body horror, but inside Together resides a intense contemplation about our choices in loving one another.
An Introductory Film Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have been together for ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, the actors infuse a particular energy to their characters, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The plot starts when Millie and Tim move from the big city to the country for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the tropes end. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the two discover an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity begins influencing the duo. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a slow burn of scares, blending moments of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes during something grotesque). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is only the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his floundering music career inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and far away from his support system. He is terrified of the notion of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision is that he never makes Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Both characters confront the sort of issues that arise in any relationship over a long period. Deep down, they have affection for one another. They still laugh together, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these anxieties of codependency and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor does not come across as overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a brilliant analogue to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a strong argument for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film actually helped them make up.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply look at your other half and say, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can embark on today.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
