Consider this a dare for partners in committed relationships who enjoy horror films: Get comfortable with your loved one and view Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it could look like standard biological terror, but beneath Together lies a intense contemplation about how we choose to love each other.
An Introductory Film Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together is the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have been together for over ten years. United in marriage in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a particular energy to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The plot begins when Tim and Millie transition from the urban environment to the rural area for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, of course, but that’s mostly where the conventions cease. Together transforms into as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their country house, a tempest descends, and the protagonists discover an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a strange force takes hold of the pair. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The entire film is a methodically building of scares, blending elements of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but tastefully done) body horror, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes amidst something disturbing). Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and delivers them in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is suffering due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and removed from his support system. He dreads the concept of totally forfeiting his individual identity in another person. This fear is intensified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie never makes one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
The couple face the type of challenges that are inherent in any relationship over a long period. At their core, they continue to care for one another. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of codependency and giving oneself over to a partner, the metaphor avoids being clumsy or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that single viewers have seen the movie as a compelling reason for staying single. Meanwhile, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could function as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the finale inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply look at your significant other and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
