Consider this a test for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate the horror genre: Get comfortable with your loved one and watch Together. This 2025 indie hit just made its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. At first glance, it may seem like typical body horror, but inside Together lies a deep contemplation about how we choose to love one another.
A Debut Feature Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for a decade. Married in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a special spark to their characters, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The narrative begins when Millie and Tim move from the big city to the countryside for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical story element, of course, but that’s mostly where the cliches conclude. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the two fall into an underground cave. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity takes hold of the pair. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The whole movie is a methodically building horror experience, weaving in bits of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes amidst something horrific). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and presents them in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they masterfully render countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is suffering due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement 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 his partner. This fear is intensified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in Together avoids making Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie face the type of challenges that are inherent in long-term unions over a long period. At their core, they still love each other. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the otherworldly presence in Together represent these concerns of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to another person, the metaphor never feels clumsy or self-important. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama work together in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, some couples having disagreements found that the film actually helped them make up.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could function as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your partner and say, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can undertake today.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform now.
