Consider this a challenge for long-term couples who enjoy horror films: Settle in with your partner and view Together. This independent film success of 2025 just made its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. On the surface, it may seem like typical physical horror, but beneath Together exists a deep meditation about the ways we decide to love our partners.
An Introductory Film Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have stayed together for a decade. United in marriage in reality in 2017, the actors contribute a unique chemistry to their roles, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The story starts when Millie and Tim relocate from the big city to the countryside for Millie’s job. A familiar story element, of course, but that’s primarily where the tropes end. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and the two discover an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence begins influencing the couple. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The whole movie is a slow burn horror experience, weaving in bits of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes during something disturbing). The director weaves these elements together expertly and presents them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they masterfully render countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and distant from his network of friends. He is terrified of the concept of completely losing his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is amplified by the reality he can’t drive and needs Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he avoids making Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie face the kind of problems that are inherent in any relationship a decade in. At their core, they continue to care for each other. They still laugh together, provide solace, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these concerns of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to a partner, the allegory avoids being overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights work together in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. It has been said that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. On the other hand, certain partners having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply look at your other half and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can experience at this very moment.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform at present.
