We present a challenge for partners in committed relationships who appreciate horror films: Sit down with your significant other and view Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its streaming debut via Hulu. On the surface, it may seem like typical biological terror, but inside Together lies a intense examination about our choices in loving each other.
A Debut Feature Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for a decade. Married in reality in 2017, the two stars infuse a particular energy to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The plot commences when Tim and Millie move from the metropolis to the rural area for professional reasons. A commonly used plot device, of course, but that’s primarily where the conventions cease. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their country house, a tempest descends, and the two fall into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a strange force starts to affect the couple. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a methodically building horror experience, blending bits of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but never too gross) body horror, and authentically humorous exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Shanks skillfully blends these components neatly and delivers them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and distant from his social circle. He dreads the concept of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in his partner. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie avoids making one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie face the type of challenges that are inherent in any relationship over a long period. Deep down, they still love each other. They still laugh together, offer support, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of codependency and fully committing to a partner, the metaphor does not come across as hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal work together in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that single viewers have understood the narrative as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, some couples having disagreements found that the film actually helped them make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion sow anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your partner and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can experience right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu at present.
