Consider this a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate scary movies: Sit down with your significant other and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like conventional physical horror, but within Together lies a intense meditation about how we choose to love one another.
An Introductory Film Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together marks the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have remained a couple for over ten years. United in marriage in actuality in 2017, the two stars infuse a special spark to their characters, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The narrative begins when Millie and Tim move from the metropolis to the countryside for Millie’s job. A familiar plot device, admittedly, but that’s largely where the conventions cease. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists discover an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a strange force begins influencing the couple. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying fright fest, interspersing bits of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but never too gross) body horror, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes during something grotesque). Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and delivers them in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is waning due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and far away from his social circle. He dreads the notion of totally forfeiting his individual identity in another person. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he can’t drive and relies on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he avoids making either of his characters the definite antagonist.
Both characters grapple with the kind of problems that are inherent in long-term unions over a long period. At their core, they still love one another. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these concerns of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the symbolism does not come across as overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements offer a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. Conversely, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could function as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the finale sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you identify in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your partner and say, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
