Consider this a challenge for long-term couples who enjoy the horror genre: Settle in with your partner and watch Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like conventional body horror, but beneath Together resides a intense contemplation about how we choose to love one another.
A Debut Feature Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together is the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have stayed together for over ten years. United in marriage in reality in 2017, the two stars infuse a particular energy to their roles, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The narrative starts when the couple move from the metropolis to the countryside for her career. A commonly used narrative setup, of course, but that’s primarily where the conventions end. Together transforms into as much a examination of mental states of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their country house, a storm hits, and the two fall into an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a strange force takes hold of the duo. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The entire film is a methodically building horror experience, interspersing moments of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes amidst something grotesque). Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and delivers them in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is only the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and far away from his social circle. He is terrified of the concept of completely losing his sense of self in his partner. This fear is intensified by the fact he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect in this movie avoids making either of his characters the obvious villain.
Both characters grapple with the type of challenges that are inherent in long-term unions after ten years. At their core, they have affection for one another. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, 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 act as a metaphor for these concerns of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to a partner, the allegory never feels overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. It has been said that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, some couples having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could act as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your other half and state, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can experience today.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform at present.