We present a test for partners in committed relationships who appreciate horror films: Settle in with your significant other and view Together. The 2025 indie hit just made its streaming debut via Hulu. Outwardly, it could look like conventional biological terror, but beneath Together lies a profound meditation about the ways we decide to love one another.
An Introductory Film Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together represents the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for over ten years. Having wed in actuality in 2017, the actors bring a special spark to their characters, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The narrative begins when the couple relocate from the metropolis to the countryside for professional reasons. A commonly used plot device, admittedly, but that’s largely where the tropes 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 rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists discover an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a strange force starts to affect the pair. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying horror experience, interspersing bits of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and wraps them up in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is waning due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and distant from his network of friends. He is terrified of the idea of totally forfeiting his sense of self in his partner. This fear is amplified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie avoids making one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
Both characters face the kind of problems that come with long-term unions after ten years. At their core, they still love one another. They still laugh together, offer support, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of codependency and fully committing to a partner, the allegory does not come across as hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film actually helped them make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could act as a telling indicator 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 Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your partner and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is streaming on Hulu as of this moment.
