Consider this a dare for long-term couples who are fans of horror films: Settle in with your partner and watch Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like typical body horror, but beneath Together lies a deep meditation about how we choose to love each other.
An Introductory Film Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together marks the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It showcases actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for a decade. Married in actuality in 2017, the two stars bring a particular energy to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The narrative commences when Millie and Tim move from the metropolis to the countryside for Millie’s job. A familiar plot device, of course, but that’s largely where the tropes conclude. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their country house, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim fall into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence starts to affect the duo. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a methodically building horror experience, blending moments of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but never too gross) physical transformations, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and presents them in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and far away from his social circle. He fears the notion of completely losing his individual identity in Millie. This fear is amplified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in Together refrains from painting Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie grapple with the type of challenges that arise in any relationship after ten years. At their core, they have affection for one another. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to a partner, the allegory never feels overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, some couples who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could act as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the finale inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your other half and say, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can embark on right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
