Here's a test for long-term couples who enjoy scary movies: Sit down with your loved one and view Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its online premiere via Hulu. Outwardly, it might appear like typical physical horror, but beneath Together lies a deep meditation about how we choose to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have remained a couple for ten years. Having wed in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a unique chemistry to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The story begins when Millie and Tim transition from the metropolis to the country for her career. A commonly used narrative setup, sure, but that’s mostly where the tropes cease. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists tumble into an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity starts to affect the couple. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a slow burn horror experience, blending elements of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but tastefully done) body horror, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and delivers them in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and sense of connection is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and removed from his network of friends. He fears the notion of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is amplified by the reality he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he never makes one partner or the other the obvious villain.
The couple confront the type of challenges that are inherent in most partnerships over a long period. Deep down, they have affection for each other. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to another person, the allegory avoids being clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have understood the narrative as a strong argument for staying single. Conversely, some couples having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could function as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the ending sow a sense of discomfort and fear, 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 say, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu as of this moment.
