Here's a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy the horror genre: Get comfortable with your loved one and view Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its online premiere on Hulu. At first glance, it could look like typical physical horror, but within Together lies a intense contemplation about the ways we decide to love one another.
An Introductory Film Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for over ten years. United in marriage in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a special spark to their roles, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The story starts when Millie and Tim transition from the big city to the rural area for her career. A familiar plot device, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the cliches conclude. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim discover an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence takes hold of the pair. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a slow burn horror experience, weaving in moments of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes during something horrific). The director orchestrates these parts neatly and presents them in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Complex Characterizations
A great deal of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and distant from his support system. He dreads the idea of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is intensified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie refrains from painting one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
The couple grapple with the type of challenges that are inherent in most partnerships over a long period. Deep down, they still love each other. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these concerns of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the metaphor never feels hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a powerful case for staying single. On the other hand, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could function as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the ending inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply look at your significant other and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can undertake today.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform now.
