Here's a dare for partners in committed relationships who enjoy scary movies: Settle in with your loved one and watch Together. This 2025 indie hit has now made its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. On the surface, it could look like typical body horror, but beneath Together exists a intense contemplation about our choices in loving our partners.
A Debut Feature Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for a decade. Married in reality in 2017, the actors contribute a unique chemistry to their characters, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The plot begins when the couple move from the big city to the country for her career. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, of course, but that’s primarily where the conventions conclude. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the two fall into an underground cave. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a strange force starts to affect the duo. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying of scares, weaving in moments of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). The director weaves these elements together expertly and presents them in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is waning due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and distant from his social circle. He dreads the notion of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie never makes Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Both characters confront the type of challenges that arise in any relationship a decade in. Deep down, they have affection for each other. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these concerns of excessive reliance and fully committing to another person, the symbolism avoids being hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights work together in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a strong argument for remaining unattached. On the other hand, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could potentially serve 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 identify in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply look at your partner and state, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can undertake right now.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu now.
