Here's a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate the horror genre: Sit down with your significant other and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like typical body horror, but within Together lies a intense examination about our choices in loving our partners.
A Debut Feature Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together is the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, partners that have stayed together for ten years. Married in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a unique chemistry to their characters, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The story commences when Tim and Millie relocate from the metropolis to the countryside for her career. A commonly used story element, of course, but that’s largely where the cliches cease. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their new home, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim tumble into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a mysterious influence takes hold of the couple. This force creates a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying horror experience, interspersing moments of fever-dream horrors, gross (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes amidst something grotesque). Shanks weaves these elements together neatly and presents them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and distant from his social circle. He fears the notion of totally forfeiting his sense of self in Millie. This fear is amplified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for mobility.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he avoids making either of his characters the obvious villain.
The couple confront the sort of issues that are inherent in long-term unions a decade in. Deep down, they continue to care for one another. They still laugh together, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an persistent undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these anxieties of codependency and giving oneself over to a partner, the metaphor avoids being clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a strong argument for staying single. Meanwhile, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could function as a telling indicator of how you think about commitment. Will the finale plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your other half and say, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can undertake today.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu at present.
