Consider this a challenge for long-term couples who are fans of scary movies: Settle in with your loved one and view Together. This 2025 indie hit has now made its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. On the surface, it could look like conventional body horror, but within Together lies a intense examination about how we choose to love each other.
An Introductory Film Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together marks the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, partners that have stayed together for a decade. Having wed in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a special spark to their roles, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The narrative begins when the couple relocate from the metropolis to the countryside for professional reasons. A commonly used story element, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the conventions end. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their new home, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim discover an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence begins influencing the duo. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying horror experience, weaving in moments of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes during something disturbing). Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and presents them in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and removed from his support system. He is terrified of the concept of completely losing his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie refrains from painting either of his characters the clear bad guy.
Both characters confront the type of challenges that arise in any relationship a decade in. At their core, they have affection for one another. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together represent these fears of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to another person, the allegory never feels overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for staying single. On the other hand, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could function as a telling indicator of how you think about commitment. Will the ending plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply look at your significant other and utter, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can embark on right now.
Together is currently playing on Hulu now.
