Here's a challenge for partners in committed relationships who are fans of horror films: Get comfortable with your loved one and watch Together. The 2025 indie hit just made its streaming debut via Hulu. At first glance, it could look like conventional body horror, but inside Together resides a intense contemplation about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Debut Feature Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together represents the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for a decade. Having wed in real life in 2017, the two stars contribute a unique chemistry to their characters, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The plot commences when Millie and Tim relocate from the big city to the country for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical story element, sure, but that’s mostly where the cliches conclude. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their new home, a storm hits, and the two tumble into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a strange force starts to affect the pair. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying of scares, weaving in elements of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes amidst something disturbing). The director weaves these elements together neatly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A significant portion of Together is only the two lead actors, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and distant from his social circle. He dreads the concept of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he can’t drive and relies on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together refrains from painting either of his characters the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie confront the sort of issues that are inherent in long-term unions over a long period. At their core, they continue to care for each other. They find humor with each other, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these concerns of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to a partner, the allegory does not come across as hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a strong argument for remaining unattached. On the other hand, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could function as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply look at your partner and say, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can experience today.
Together is available to watch on Hulu now.
