Consider this a challenge for partners in committed relationships who enjoy the horror genre: Settle in with your loved one and view Together. This 2025 indie hit recently had its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like conventional biological terror, but inside Together lies a profound meditation about how we choose to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together represents the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have been together for ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a particular energy to their characters, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The narrative commences when the couple transition from the urban environment to the countryside for professional reasons. A familiar plot device, of course, but that’s mostly where the conventions conclude. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the protagonists discover an underground cave. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a strange force starts to affect the pair. This force creates a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The entire film is a methodically building of scares, interspersing moments of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but tastefully done) body horror, and authentically humorous exchanges (sometimes during something disturbing). The director orchestrates these parts expertly and delivers them in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is suffering due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and distant from his social circle. He is terrified of the idea of completely losing his individual identity in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie avoids making one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
Both characters confront the type of challenges that arise in long-term unions a decade in. Deep down, they have affection for one another. 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 relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to another person, the symbolism avoids being clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama serve the other symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that single viewers have seen the movie as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. Conversely, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion inspire anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your other half and state, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can undertake right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu as of this moment.
