We present a test for partners in committed relationships who enjoy horror films: Settle in with your significant other and view Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. At first glance, it could look like typical physical horror, but beneath Together exists a profound examination about our choices in loving each other.
A Debut Feature Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together represents the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have been together for a decade. Married in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a particular energy to their roles, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The plot commences when Tim and Millie relocate from the metropolis to the rural area for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the conventions cease. Together becomes 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 country house, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim fall into an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a strange force begins influencing the duo. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying fright fest, weaving in bits of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but tastefully done) body horror, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes during something horrific). Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and presents them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is suffering due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and removed from his support system. He fears the notion of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together never makes either of his characters the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie grapple with the type of challenges that come with any relationship after ten years. Fundamentally, they have affection for each other. They still laugh together, offer support, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the otherworldly presence in Together represent these concerns of excessive reliance and fully committing to a partner, the metaphor never feels overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal work together symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Conversely, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in one of the characters and yell at the screen, or simply look at your other half and say, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can experience at this very moment.
Together is streaming on Hulu as of this moment.
