Consider this a challenge for partners in committed relationships who enjoy scary movies: Sit down with your significant other and view Together. This 2025 indie hit has now made its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. At first glance, it may seem like typical body horror, but beneath Together exists a intense meditation about how we choose to love one another.
An Introductory Film Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together represents the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, partners that have been together for over ten years. Having wed in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a special spark to their roles, skillfully embodying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The narrative begins when Tim and Millie relocate from the metropolis to the rural area for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, admittedly, but that’s largely where the conventions end. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the protagonists fall into an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a strange force starts to affect the duo. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The entire film is a slow burn fright fest, weaving in moments of dreamlike terrors, gross (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes during something grotesque). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components neatly and delivers them in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and far away from his support system. He fears the concept of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he refrains from painting one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
The couple grapple with the type of challenges that are inherent in most partnerships over a long period. At their core, they have affection for one another. They still laugh together, offer support, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these fears of excessive reliance and fully committing to a partner, the metaphor avoids being clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Conversely, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them make up.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could act as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the finale inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your significant other and state, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can undertake today.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform now.
