Here's a dare for partners in committed relationships who are fans of horror films: Sit down with your partner and view Together. This 2025 indie hit recently had its online premiere via Hulu. On the surface, it could look like standard biological terror, but within Together lies a profound contemplation about the ways we decide to love each other.
An Introductory Film Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have been together for over ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, the two stars bring a unique chemistry to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The plot starts when Millie and Tim move from the urban environment to the countryside for Millie’s job. A familiar plot device, sure, but that’s primarily where the cliches conclude. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their new home, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim discover an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a strange force takes hold of the couple. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The whole movie is a slow burn fright fest, interspersing moments of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes amidst something disturbing). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together seamlessly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they deftly portray countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
Tim, on the other hand experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and distant from his support system. He fears the idea of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he avoids making either of his characters the definite antagonist.
The couple confront the kind of problems that come with any relationship over a long period. At their core, they continue to care for each other. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these anxieties of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to a partner, the metaphor never feels hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a powerful case for staying single. Conversely, some couples having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could function as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your other half and utter, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can experience at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu now.