Consider this a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy the horror genre: Get comfortable with your loved one and watch Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. On the surface, it could look like standard body horror, but within Together exists a intense contemplation about the ways we decide to love each other.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together marks the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for over ten years. United in marriage in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a unique chemistry to their roles, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The story commences when Millie and Tim move from the metropolis to the countryside for professional reasons. A commonly used plot device, sure, but that’s largely where the conventions cease. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists fall into an underground cave. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence takes hold of the couple. This force creates a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying of scares, interspersing bits of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). The director weaves these elements together expertly and presents them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A significant portion of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Tim, on the other hand feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and distant from his social circle. He dreads the notion of totally forfeiting his individual identity in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie avoids making Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Both characters grapple with the type of challenges that arise in long-term unions over a long period. At their core, they have affection for each other. They find humor with each other, offer support, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these anxieties of codependency and giving oneself over to another person, the allegory avoids being clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a brilliant analogue to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights serve the other symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for staying single. Conversely, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the ending sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your partner and utter, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can embark on today.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform at present.
