Here's a dare for long-term couples who are fans of horror films: Get comfortable with your significant other and watch Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it might appear like typical body horror, but beneath Together exists a deep examination about how we choose to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have been together for over ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, the two stars infuse a unique chemistry to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The story commences when Tim and Millie move from the big city to the countryside for Millie’s job. A familiar narrative setup, sure, but that’s largely where the cliches end. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and the two discover an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a mysterious influence begins influencing the duo. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a slow burn fright fest, blending bits of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but tastefully done) body horror, and authentically humorous exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Michael 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 exclusively the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is suffering due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and far away from his support system. He dreads the concept of totally forfeiting his individual identity in his partner. This fear is intensified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for mobility.
The film's most intelligent aspect in Together never makes either of his characters the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie face the kind of problems that arise in long-term unions a decade in. At their core, they have affection for each other. They share moments of joy, offer support, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these fears of codependency and fully committing to another person, the metaphor avoids being overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. It has been said that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for staying single. Meanwhile, certain partners having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the ending inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your other half and utter, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can embark on today.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
