We present a dare for long-term couples who appreciate scary movies: Sit down with your loved one and view Together. This 2025 indie hit just made its online premiere on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it may seem like conventional body horror, but beneath Together exists a deep contemplation about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together is the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for over ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, the two stars contribute a special spark to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a enduring union.
The plot commences when Millie and Tim move from the big city to the country for her career. A somewhat stereotypical story element, of course, but that’s mostly where the tropes cease. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim tumble into an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a strange force starts to affect the couple. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The whole movie is a slow burn fright fest, blending moments of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and authentically humorous exchanges (sometimes during something grotesque). Shanks orchestrates these parts seamlessly and wraps them up in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A significant portion of Together is only the two lead actors, and they masterfully render countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
Tim, on the other hand feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and removed from his network of friends. He dreads the idea of completely losing his sense of self in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he can’t drive and relies on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie avoids making one partner or the other the obvious villain.
The couple confront the sort of issues that arise in any relationship over a long period. Deep down, they have affection for each other. They find humor with each other, offer support, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to a partner, the allegory avoids being hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have understood the narrative as a strong argument for remaining unattached. On the other hand, certain partners having disagreements found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could function as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply look at your significant other and say, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can experience right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu as of this moment.
