Consider this a dare for long-term couples who are fans of the horror genre: Settle in with your significant other and view Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie recently had its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. Outwardly, it could look like standard body horror, but within Together resides a intense contemplation about the ways we decide to love each other.
A Directorial Debut Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together marks the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It stars 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. Having wed in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a special spark to their roles, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The narrative commences when Tim and Millie relocate from the big city to the countryside for her career. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the cliches conclude. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the protagonists fall into an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a strange force takes hold of the pair. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying horror experience, blending moments of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous exchanges (sometimes amidst something horrific). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and delivers them in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A significant portion of Together is only the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and far away from his support system. He dreads the idea of totally forfeiting his sense of self in his partner. This fear is amplified by the fact he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he avoids making Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie grapple with the sort of issues that come with any relationship a decade in. Fundamentally, they continue to care for one another. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together represent these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to a partner, the symbolism never feels overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal 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 film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, some couples experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
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 finale sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your partner and utter, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can embark on right now.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu at present.
