We present a test for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate horror films: Sit down with your significant other and stream Together. The independent film success of 2025 has now made its online premiere via Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like conventional body horror, but beneath Together resides a deep examination about our choices in loving each other.
A Directorial Debut Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together marks the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have been together for a decade. Married in reality in 2017, the actors contribute a particular energy to their characters, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The plot begins when Millie and Tim relocate from the metropolis to the country for Millie’s job. A familiar story element, sure, but that’s mostly where the tropes conclude. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While hiking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim tumble into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence takes hold of the pair. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past simple connection.
The whole movie is a methodically building of scares, blending elements of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes amidst something grotesque). Shanks orchestrates these parts seamlessly and presents them in a gradually swelling 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 emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and distant from his social circle. He dreads the notion of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in his partner. This fear is amplified by the reality he can’t drive and needs Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision is that he avoids making one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
The couple face the kind of problems that come with long-term unions over a long period. Deep down, they still love one another. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to a partner, the allegory never feels hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a brilliant analogue to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a strong argument for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could function as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your other half and say, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can embark on right now.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu now.
