Here's a challenge for partners in committed relationships who appreciate scary movies: Get comfortable with your partner and watch Together. The 2025 indie hit just made its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like standard body horror, but inside Together lies a intense examination about our choices in loving each other.
A Debut Feature Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together marks the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for a decade. Having wed in reality in 2017, the two stars bring a special spark to their roles, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The narrative starts when Millie and Tim transition from the big city to the country for Millie’s job. A commonly used narrative setup, of course, but that’s largely where the tropes end. Together transforms into as much a examination of mental states of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the two tumble into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity starts to affect the couple. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying fright fest, blending bits of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but never too gross) body horror, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes amidst something disturbing). The director skillfully blends these components seamlessly and presents them in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they deftly portray countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and far away from his support system. He is terrified of the notion of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in his partner. This fear is amplified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie refrains from painting one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie grapple with the sort of issues that are inherent in any relationship after ten years. At their core, they still love one another. They still laugh together, offer support, and open up 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 anxieties of codependency and giving oneself over to a partner, the metaphor avoids being clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Conversely, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion inspire anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you identify in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your partner and utter, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can experience today.
Together is available to watch on Hulu at present.
