Consider this a test for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy the horror genre: Get comfortable with your significant other and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its online premiere via Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like standard physical horror, but within Together lies a deep meditation about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, partners that have remained a couple for over ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, the two stars infuse a unique chemistry to their characters, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The plot commences when the couple relocate from the metropolis to the country for professional reasons. A commonly used story element, sure, but that’s mostly where the tropes conclude. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While hiking near their new home, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim tumble into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity starts to affect the duo. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a methodically building horror experience, weaving in elements of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes during something grotesque). The director skillfully blends these components neatly and presents them in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is only the two lead actors, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is suffering due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
Tim, on the other hand senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and distant from his social circle. He dreads the idea of totally forfeiting his individual identity in another person. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision in Together refrains from painting Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie face the type of challenges that are inherent in any relationship over a long period. Fundamentally, they continue to care for one another. They still laugh together, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of codependency and totally devoting oneself to another person, the symbolism avoids being clumsy or self-important. Instead, these visceral horror elements offer a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. Conversely, some couples having disagreements found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could function as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the finale plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your significant other and utter, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can embark on right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu now.
