Here's a dare for partners in committed relationships who appreciate the horror genre: Sit down with your significant other and watch Together. This independent film success of 2025 recently had its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. Outwardly, it could look like typical biological terror, but inside Together resides a deep meditation about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Debut Feature Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together marks the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have been together for a decade. Having wed in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a particular energy to their roles, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The story begins when Millie and Tim transition from the metropolis to the countryside for professional reasons. A familiar story element, of course, but that’s largely where the cliches conclude. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists tumble into an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity takes hold of the pair. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding simple connection.
The entire film is a slow burn horror experience, weaving in moments of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but never too gross) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes during something grotesque). The director weaves these elements together expertly and delivers them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and far away from his support system. He dreads the notion of completely losing his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he can’t drive and relies on Millie for getting around.
The film's most intelligent aspect in Together avoids making either of his characters the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie grapple with the type of challenges that are inherent in any relationship after ten years. At their core, they have affection for one another. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these concerns of codependency and fully committing to another person, the symbolism does not come across as hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a strong argument for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, some couples having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could function as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply turn to your partner and say, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can embark on today.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
