Consider this a challenge for long-term couples who are fans of horror films: Settle in with your partner and view Together. This 2025 indie hit recently had its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. Outwardly, it could look like typical biological terror, but within Together lies a intense meditation about how we choose to love our partners.
An Introductory Film Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together marks the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have remained a couple for ten years. United in marriage in real life in 2017, the actors bring a particular energy to their roles, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The narrative begins when the couple relocate from the urban environment to the rural area for Millie’s job. A familiar story element, of course, but that’s primarily where the conventions conclude. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their new home, a storm hits, and the protagonists tumble into an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity takes hold of the couple. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a methodically building horror experience, weaving in elements of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but never too gross) physical transformations, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes during something horrific). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and presents them in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his floundering music career gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and far away from his network of friends. He is terrified of the idea of completely losing his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is intensified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for getting around.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he refrains from painting either of his characters the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie grapple with the sort of issues that arise in any relationship after ten years. At their core, they still love one another. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these concerns of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to another person, the metaphor avoids being overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights serve the other symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Conversely, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply look at your partner and say, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can embark on right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu at present.
