Here's a test for partners in committed relationships who enjoy horror films: Settle in with your loved one and watch Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its online premiere on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it might appear like typical physical horror, but beneath Together exists a profound meditation about our choices in loving one another.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together is the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for a decade. Having wed in reality in 2017, the two stars bring a special spark to their roles, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The story commences when the couple transition from the big city to the rural area for her career. A commonly used plot device, sure, but that’s primarily where the conventions end. Together transforms into as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their country house, a tempest descends, and the two fall into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence starts to affect the pair. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The whole movie is a slow burn horror experience, blending moments of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes amidst something disturbing). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and delivers them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and far away from his network of friends. He fears the notion of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for getting around.
The film's most intelligent aspect in Together avoids making one partner or the other the obvious villain.
The couple grapple with the type of challenges that are inherent in most partnerships a decade in. Fundamentally, they still love one another. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these fears of codependency and totally devoting oneself to another person, the metaphor avoids being hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements offer a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Conversely, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film ultimately assisted them make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could function as a telling indicator of how you think about commitment. Will the ending plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you identify in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply turn to your partner and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can experience today.
Together is currently playing on Hulu at present.
