Consider this a dare for partners in committed relationships who enjoy the horror genre: Sit down with your loved one and watch Together. The 2025 indie hit just made its streaming debut on Hulu. Outwardly, it might appear like typical physical horror, but inside Together exists a intense meditation about how we choose to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together marks the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for a decade. United in marriage in actuality in 2017, the actors infuse a unique chemistry to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The narrative starts when Tim and Millie transition from the urban environment to the countryside for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, sure, but that’s largely where the conventions cease. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and the two fall into an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity takes hold of the couple. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding simple connection.
The whole movie is a slow burn fright fest, blending elements of dreamlike terrors, gross (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and delivers them in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and distant from his network of friends. He fears the concept of totally forfeiting his individual identity in his partner. This fear is amplified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he refrains from painting one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Both characters face the type of challenges that come with long-term unions over a long period. At their core, they still love one another. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to another person, the allegory avoids being hamfisted or self-important. 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 won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have understood the narrative as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, some couples who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the ending plant 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 look at your other half and state, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can experience right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform now.
