Here's a challenge for partners in committed relationships who enjoy horror films: Sit down with your loved one and watch Together. The independent film success of 2025 just made its online premiere on Hulu. Outwardly, it might appear like typical body horror, but inside Together resides a profound examination about how we choose to love each other.
A Debut Feature Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together marks the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have remained a couple for over ten years. Having wed in real life in 2017, the two stars infuse a particular energy to their characters, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The story begins when Tim and Millie move from the urban environment to the rural area for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical story element, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the tropes conclude. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their country house, a tempest descends, and the two fall into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence starts to affect the pair. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a slow burn horror experience, blending elements of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but tastefully done) body horror, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes during something grotesque). Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and wraps them up in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is only the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and removed from his network of friends. He fears the idea of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he refrains from painting one partner or the other the obvious villain.
The couple face the kind of problems that are inherent in most partnerships over a long period. Deep down, they continue to care for each other. They find humor with each other, offer support, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these concerns of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the metaphor never feels overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama serve the other symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the ending inspire anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply turn to your other half and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can experience right now.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu now.
