Here's a test for partners in committed relationships who are fans of horror films: Settle in with your partner and stream Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its streaming debut via Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like standard body horror, but beneath Together exists a profound contemplation about our choices in loving our partners.
An Introductory Film Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together marks the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars 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 been together for a decade. United in marriage in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a unique chemistry to their characters, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The story starts when the couple relocate from the metropolis to the rural area for professional reasons. A commonly used story element, of course, but that’s primarily where the conventions cease. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their country house, a tempest descends, and the protagonists fall into an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a strange force takes hold of the duo. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying fright fest, weaving in elements of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts seamlessly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is waning due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and distant from his support system. He dreads the concept of completely losing his individual identity in Millie. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he never makes one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie face the type of challenges that come with long-term unions after ten years. At their core, they continue to care for each other. They share moments of joy, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these anxieties of codependency and totally devoting oneself to another person, the allegory never feels clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama serve the other in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a powerful case for remaining unattached. On the other hand, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them make up.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could function as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the finale plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply turn to your significant other and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can experience right now.
Together is currently playing on Hulu now.
