Consider this a challenge for long-term couples who are fans of the horror genre: Sit down with your significant other and watch Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. On the surface, it might appear like typical body horror, but beneath Together lies a deep examination about the ways we decide to love one another.
An Introductory Film Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, partners that have remained a couple for a decade. Married in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a special spark to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The story commences when Tim and Millie move from the big city to the rural area for Millie’s job. A familiar plot device, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the tropes cease. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim discover an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a strange force begins influencing the pair. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a slow burn fright fest, interspersing bits of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but tastefully done) body horror, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and wraps them up in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A great deal of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and removed from his network of friends. He dreads the concept of completely losing his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together never makes Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
The couple confront the kind of problems that are inherent in long-term unions a decade in. At their core, they still love each other. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these fears of codependency and fully committing to a partner, the symbolism avoids being overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a compelling reason 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 act as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your significant other and utter, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu at present.
