Here's a dare for partners in committed relationships who enjoy the horror genre: Sit down with your partner and view Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its online premiere on the Hulu service. On the surface, it may seem like conventional biological terror, but inside Together lies a deep examination about the ways we decide to love each other.
A Directorial Debut Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It showcases actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for over ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, the actors infuse a particular energy to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The narrative commences when Tim and Millie relocate from the urban environment to the countryside for Millie’s job. A commonly used plot device, sure, but that’s primarily where the tropes end. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the protagonists discover an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a strange force begins influencing the couple. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The entire film is a methodically building of scares, interspersing bits of fever-dream horrors, gross (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes amidst something disturbing). The director orchestrates these parts expertly and presents them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
Tim, on the other hand senses confinement and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and far away from his support system. He fears the notion of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together refrains from painting Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie grapple with the type of challenges that come with most partnerships after ten years. At their core, they still love one another. They find humor with each other, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to a partner, the symbolism never feels clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a powerful case for remaining unattached. On the other hand, certain partners having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could function as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion plant anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your other half and state, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu now.
