We present a test for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of the horror genre: Settle in with your loved one and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its online premiere on Hulu. On the surface, it could look like typical body horror, but inside Together exists a profound meditation about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Debut Feature Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features 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. Married in real life in 2017, the actors bring a unique chemistry to their characters, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a enduring union.
The narrative commences when the couple move from the urban environment to the countryside for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the cliches cease. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the protagonists discover an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a strange force begins influencing the pair. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The whole movie is a methodically building of scares, blending elements of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and delivers them in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A significant portion of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they masterfully render countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and far away from his network of friends. He is terrified of the concept of completely losing his individual identity in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision is that he refrains from painting one partner or the other the obvious villain.
The couple confront the kind of problems that come with long-term unions over a long period. Deep down, they still love each other. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these concerns of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the symbolism never feels hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a brilliant analogue to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that single viewers have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could act as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the ending plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your significant other and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can experience today.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
