We present a test for partners in committed relationships who appreciate the horror genre: Get comfortable with your loved one and watch Together. This 2025 indie hit recently had its online premiere on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it could look like typical biological terror, but within Together exists a profound meditation about our choices in loving our partners.
A Directorial Debut Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together represents the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have been together for ten years. Married in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a particular energy to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The story begins when Tim and Millie transition from the metropolis to the rural area for her career. A familiar story element, of course, but that’s primarily where the conventions conclude. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim fall into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence takes hold of the duo. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying horror experience, interspersing elements of fever-dream horrors, gross (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Shanks skillfully blends these components neatly and presents them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A great deal of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and distant from his network of friends. He fears the idea of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the fact he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie never makes either of his characters the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie face the sort of issues that come with long-term unions a decade in. Deep down, they continue to care for each other. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these concerns of codependency and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the allegory never feels overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama work together in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. It has been said that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for staying single. Meanwhile, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you identify in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply look at your partner and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can embark on today.
Together is streaming on Hulu now.
