Here's a challenge for long-term couples who appreciate scary movies: Settle in with your partner and view Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its streaming debut on the Hulu service. At first glance, it may seem like standard biological terror, but within Together lies a profound examination about the ways we decide to love our partners.
A Directorial Debut Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together represents the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for over ten years. United in marriage in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a special spark to their characters, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The story begins when the couple relocate from the urban environment to the country for Millie’s job. A commonly used narrative setup, of course, but that’s primarily where the tropes conclude. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their country house, a storm hits, and the two fall into an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a mysterious influence begins influencing the duo. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a slow burn fright fest, blending bits of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but never too gross) body horror, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes during something grotesque). Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and delivers them in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his floundering music career inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and removed from his network of friends. He dreads the idea of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in another person. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect in Together never makes one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
Both characters confront the sort of issues that are inherent in long-term unions over a long period. At their core, they have affection for each other. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to another person, the metaphor never feels overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a powerful case for staying single. Conversely, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could function as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the ending plant anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in one of the characters and yell at the screen, or simply look at your partner and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can embark on today.
Together is streaming on Hulu now.
