We present a challenge for long-term couples who enjoy the horror genre: Get comfortable with your partner and view Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its online premiere on the Hulu service. At first glance, it could look like typical physical horror, but beneath Together exists a intense contemplation about the ways we decide to love one another.
An Introductory Film Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together represents the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have remained a couple for ten years. Married in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a special spark to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a enduring union.
The story commences when Millie and Tim move from the metropolis to the rural area for her career. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the cliches conclude. Together becomes 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 walking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists fall into an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a strange force starts to affect the pair. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The entire film is a methodically building fright fest, weaving in bits of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes during something disturbing). The director weaves these elements together neatly and delivers them in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and far away from his support system. He fears the notion of completely losing his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision is that he never makes either of his characters the obvious villain.
The couple confront the kind of problems that arise in long-term unions over a long period. At their core, they have affection for each other. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these fears of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to another person, the symbolism does not come across as clumsy or self-important. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a brilliant analogue to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, some couples experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you identify in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply turn to your other half and say, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu as of this moment.
