Here's a dare for long-term couples who enjoy the horror genre: Settle in with your partner and view Together. The 2025 indie hit just made its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. Outwardly, it might appear like standard biological terror, but beneath Together exists a deep meditation about our choices in loving our partners.
A Debut Feature Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together marks the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have been together for ten years. Having wed in actuality in 2017, the actors infuse a unique chemistry to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The story begins when Tim and Millie transition from the urban environment to the countryside for her career. A commonly used narrative setup, of course, but that’s mostly where the cliches cease. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists tumble into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity starts to affect the duo. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying of scares, weaving in bits of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes amidst something horrific). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components expertly and wraps them up in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his floundering music career inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and removed from his support system. He is terrified of the concept of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is amplified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he never makes either of his characters the definite antagonist.
Both characters face the type of challenges that are inherent in any relationship after ten years. Deep down, they have affection for each other. They still laugh together, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of excessive reliance and fully committing to a partner, the metaphor avoids being clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements offer a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights work together in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have seen the movie as a powerful case for staying single. On the other hand, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could act as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply look at your significant other and utter, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can experience at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform now.
