We present a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate the horror genre: Get comfortable with your significant other and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. On the surface, it may seem like typical biological terror, but within Together exists a profound contemplation about how we choose to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together marks the first full-length movie 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. Having wed in reality in 2017, the actors bring a unique chemistry to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The plot begins when Tim and Millie move from the metropolis to the country for professional reasons. A familiar plot device, sure, but that’s primarily where the conventions end. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim tumble into an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence starts to affect the couple. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a methodically building of scares, interspersing moments of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but never too gross) physical transformations, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes amidst something grotesque). 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 the two lead actors, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and far away from his social circle. He fears the notion of completely losing his individual identity in his partner. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie refrains from painting Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Both characters grapple with the kind of problems that come with long-term unions a decade in. Deep down, they still love each other. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of codependency and giving oneself over to a partner, the symbolism never feels clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that single viewers have interpreted the film as a strong argument for staying single. Meanwhile, some couples experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the ending inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your other half and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
