Here's a challenge for partners in committed relationships who are fans of the horror genre: Settle in with your loved one and watch Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie recently had its online premiere on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it might appear like standard body horror, but within Together resides a intense meditation about the ways we decide to love each other.
A Debut Feature Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together represents the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have stayed together for ten years. Married in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a unique chemistry to their roles, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The story begins when Tim and Millie move from the metropolis to the countryside for Millie’s job. A familiar plot device, of course, but that’s mostly where the cliches end. 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 trekking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim fall into an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity begins influencing the duo. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a slow burn fright fest, weaving in elements of fever-dream horrors, gross (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes during something horrific). The director skillfully blends these components neatly and delivers them in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and far away from his network of friends. He dreads the concept of totally forfeiting his individual identity in another person. This fear is intensified by the fact he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie avoids making one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
Both characters grapple with the type of challenges that are inherent in most partnerships over a long period. At their core, they have affection for one another. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these concerns of codependency and fully committing to another person, the metaphor never feels hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the ending sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply look at your partner and say, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform now.
