Here's a dare for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of scary movies: Sit down with your partner and view Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its online premiere on the Hulu service. On the surface, it might appear like standard physical horror, but within Together exists a intense contemplation about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together represents the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have been together for a decade. Having wed in real life in 2017, the two stars contribute a unique chemistry to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The narrative begins when the couple transition from the metropolis to the countryside for professional reasons. A familiar story element, sure, but that’s primarily where the conventions end. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While hiking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim tumble into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a mysterious influence starts to affect the pair. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past simple connection.
The entire film is a slow burn fright fest, weaving in elements of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but never too gross) physical transformations, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes amidst something horrific). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components expertly and delivers them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is suffering due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
Tim, on the other hand experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and distant from his network of friends. He is terrified of the notion of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together refrains from painting either of his characters the obvious villain.
The couple confront the type of challenges that are inherent in any relationship after ten years. Deep down, they still love each other. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to another person, the allegory never feels overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a strong argument for staying single. Meanwhile, certain partners having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your partner and utter, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can undertake today.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform at present.
