Here's a test for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of scary movies: Settle in with your loved one and view Together. This 2025 indie hit just made its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. At first glance, it might appear like conventional biological terror, but within Together lies a intense contemplation about our choices in loving each other.
A Directorial Debut Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together marks 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, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for ten years. Married in real life in 2017, the actors bring a special spark to their roles, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The plot commences when Tim and Millie relocate from the metropolis to the country for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the cliches end. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their country house, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim fall into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity begins influencing the couple. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding simple connection.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying horror experience, blending elements of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts seamlessly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and removed from his support system. He is terrified of the idea of totally forfeiting his individual identity in Millie. This fear is amplified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for getting around.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he never makes one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
The couple confront the sort of issues that arise in most partnerships over a long period. Deep down, they continue to care for each other. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these concerns of codependency and fully committing to a partner, the metaphor does not come across as overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that single viewers have seen the movie as a powerful case for remaining unattached. On the other hand, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you think about commitment. Will the ending sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply look at your partner and say, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can embark on today.
Together is available to watch on Hulu at present.
