Here's a dare for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate horror films: Settle in with your significant other and watch Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its online premiere on the Hulu service. At first glance, it could look like conventional biological terror, but within Together lies a deep contemplation about how we choose to love one another.
An Introductory Film Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together is the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have remained a couple for a decade. Married in real life in 2017, the actors infuse a unique chemistry to their roles, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The plot starts when the couple move from the urban environment to the country for Millie’s job. A familiar plot device, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the cliches conclude. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While hiking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim tumble into an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence takes hold of the duo. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The entire film is a slow burn horror experience, interspersing elements of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and delivers them in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is only the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the characters’ relationship. 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 failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and far away from his network of friends. He is terrified of the concept of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in another person. This fear is amplified by the fact he can’t drive and relies on Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he never makes either of his characters the obvious villain.
The couple grapple with the type of challenges that are inherent in most partnerships a decade in. Deep down, they continue to care for each other. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these concerns of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to another person, the allegory does not come across as overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that single viewers have seen the movie as a strong argument for remaining unattached. Conversely, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could act as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the ending inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your partner and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on Hulu now.
