Consider this a dare for partners in committed relationships who appreciate the horror genre: Sit down with your significant other and watch Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its online premiere on the Hulu service. At first glance, it could look like typical biological terror, but beneath Together resides a profound meditation about the ways we decide to love each other.
An Introductory Film Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together is the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for over ten years. Having wed in real life in 2017, the actors bring a unique chemistry to their characters, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The plot starts when the couple move from the metropolis to the rural area for her career. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, of course, but that’s largely where the tropes conclude. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their country house, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim discover an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity takes hold of the couple. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The entire film is a slow burn of scares, interspersing elements of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes during something horrific). Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and delivers them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is only the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and removed from his social circle. He dreads the notion of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is amplified by the reality he can’t drive and needs Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision is that he refrains from painting either of his characters the obvious villain.
The couple grapple with the type of challenges that come with long-term unions a decade in. Fundamentally, they still love one another. They find humor with each other, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together represent these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to another person, the symbolism does not come across as overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal work together in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply turn to your other half and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu at present.
