We present a test for long-term couples who appreciate horror films: Get comfortable with your partner and watch Together. This 2025 indie hit recently had its online premiere via Hulu. At first glance, it might appear like standard biological terror, but within Together exists a profound meditation about how we choose to love one another.
A Debut Feature Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together marks the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It showcases actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for ten years. United in marriage in real life in 2017, the two stars contribute a special spark to their characters, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The narrative begins when Tim and Millie relocate from the big city to the country for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, of course, but that’s mostly where the tropes cease. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their new home, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim discover an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a strange force begins influencing the pair. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The whole movie is a methodically building horror experience, blending bits of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and authentically humorous exchanges (sometimes during something grotesque). Shanks skillfully blends these components expertly and presents them in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his floundering music career inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and distant from his social circle. He is terrified of the concept of totally forfeiting his sense of self in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he refrains from painting one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Both characters grapple with the type of challenges that are inherent in most partnerships over a long period. Fundamentally, they have affection for one another. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to a partner, the metaphor does not come across as overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply look at your significant other and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can undertake today.
Together is streaming on Hulu now.
