Consider this a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate horror films: Sit down with your loved one and view Together. This 2025 indie hit just made its online premiere on Hulu. Outwardly, it could look like conventional body horror, but inside Together exists a intense contemplation about how we choose to love our partners.
An Introductory Film Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together is the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a particular energy to their roles, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The narrative begins when the couple move from the big city to the rural area for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, sure, but that’s mostly where the tropes cease. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and the two fall into an underground cave. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a strange force takes hold of the pair. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying horror experience, interspersing elements of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes during something disturbing). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and delivers them in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his floundering music career gradually emerges.
Tim, on the other hand feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and distant from his social circle. He dreads the notion of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is amplified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together never makes Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Both characters grapple with the type of challenges that arise in most partnerships over a long period. Deep down, they have affection for each other. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of excessive reliance and fully committing to another person, the allegory avoids being clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal work together symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. Conversely, certain partners 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 interpretation could function as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the finale inspire anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your partner and utter, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu at present.
