We present a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate scary movies: Get comfortable with your significant other and watch Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. At first glance, it may seem like typical body horror, but inside Together exists a deep meditation about our choices in loving our partners.
A Directorial Debut Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together represents the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have remained a couple for ten years. Married in reality in 2017, the actors bring a special spark to their characters, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The story commences when Tim and Millie transition from the metropolis to the country for Millie’s job. A familiar plot device, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the cliches end. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While hiking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and the two discover an underground cave. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity starts to affect the pair. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The whole movie is a methodically building horror experience, weaving in elements of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). The director skillfully blends these components seamlessly and presents them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his floundering music career gradually emerges.
Tim, on the other hand experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and far away from his network of friends. He fears the idea of completely losing his sense of self in another person. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect in this movie refrains from painting Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie grapple with the type of challenges that arise in long-term unions over a long period. At their core, they have affection for one another. They still laugh together, provide solace, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to another person, the symbolism does not come across as hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama work together symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a strong argument for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, some couples experiencing tension found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could act as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your other half and say, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can embark on right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
