We present a dare for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate horror films: Sit down with your loved one and view Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like standard physical horror, but inside Together exists a deep examination about how we choose to love each other.
A Directorial Debut Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together marks the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It showcases actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have stayed together for over ten years. Married in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a special spark to their roles, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The plot begins when Millie and Tim transition from the big city to the rural area for her career. A commonly used plot device, sure, but that’s largely where the conventions cease. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the two discover an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence takes hold of the couple. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The whole movie is a slow burn fright fest, blending moments of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but tastefully done) body horror, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes during something grotesque). The director skillfully blends these components expertly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and far away from his network of friends. He fears the notion of completely losing his sense of self in another person. This fear is intensified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision is that he refrains from painting one partner or the other the obvious villain.
The couple face the sort of issues that are inherent in any relationship a decade in. At their core, they continue to care for each other. They still laugh together, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these concerns of excessive reliance and fully committing to a partner, the metaphor does not come across as clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements offer a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights work together in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have understood the narrative as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. Conversely, some couples having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could act as a telling indicator of how you think about commitment. Will the ending sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your significant other and say, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu now.
