We present a challenge for partners in committed relationships who appreciate the horror genre: Get comfortable with your significant other and watch Together. This 2025 indie hit recently had its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like typical physical horror, but inside Together lies a intense contemplation about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have remained a couple for a decade. United in marriage in reality in 2017, the two stars bring a particular energy to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The plot commences when the couple relocate from the urban environment to the countryside for professional reasons. A commonly used plot device, admittedly, but that’s largely where the cliches end. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the protagonists discover an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence takes hold of the couple. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying of scares, interspersing bits of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components neatly and delivers them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and distant from his social circle. He is terrified of the idea of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in his partner. This fear is amplified by the reality he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he refrains from painting Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
The couple face the kind of problems that come with any relationship over a long period. Fundamentally, they have affection for one another. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these concerns of codependency and fully committing to another person, the allegory does not come across as hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements offer a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have interpreted the film as a powerful case for staying single. Meanwhile, some couples experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could function as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the ending sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your partner and say, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can undertake today.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform now.
