Consider this a dare for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy scary movies: Get comfortable with your partner and view Together. This 2025 indie hit just made its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like typical biological terror, but inside Together lies a deep contemplation about the ways we decide to love one another.
An Introductory Film Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together marks the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a unique chemistry to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the strengths and weaknesses of a enduring union.
The plot starts when the couple move from the urban environment to the countryside for Millie’s job. A familiar narrative setup, sure, but that’s primarily where the tropes conclude. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the protagonists discover an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a strange force takes hold of the pair. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The whole movie is a slow burn of scares, interspersing bits of fever-dream horrors, gross (but tastefully done) body horror, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes amidst something disturbing). The director orchestrates these parts seamlessly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A great deal of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
Tim, on the other hand feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and distant from his social circle. He is terrified of the notion of completely losing his sense of self in Millie. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he can’t drive and relies on Millie for getting around.
The film's most intelligent aspect in this movie avoids making either of his characters the obvious villain.
The couple face the sort of issues that come with any relationship a decade in. Deep down, they continue to care for one another. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these anxieties of codependency and fully committing to another person, the allegory does not come across as hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that single viewers have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Conversely, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could function as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the finale sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your partner and utter, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can embark on today.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform at present.
