Here's a dare for partners in committed relationships who appreciate the horror genre: Sit down with your loved one and view Together. This 2025 indie hit recently had its online premiere on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it could look like conventional biological terror, but inside Together exists a profound meditation about the ways we decide to love each other.
An Introductory Film Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together marks the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Millie and Tim, partners that have stayed together for over ten years. United in marriage in reality in 2017, the actors bring a particular energy to their roles, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The plot commences when the couple relocate from the urban environment to the country for her career. A familiar plot device, sure, but that’s mostly where the conventions conclude. 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 hiking near their new home, a storm hits, and the two tumble into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity starts to affect the duo. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a methodically building horror experience, interspersing bits of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but never too gross) physical transformations, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes amidst something grotesque). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and presents them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and distant from his support system. He fears the notion of completely losing his sense of self in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he refrains from painting Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Both characters face the sort of issues that arise in most partnerships a decade in. Deep down, they still love one another. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these fears of codependency and totally devoting oneself to another person, the symbolism does not come across as hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a brilliant analogue to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, some couples experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could function as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the finale plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your significant other and state, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can undertake today.
Together is available to watch on Hulu as of this moment.
