We present a dare for partners in committed relationships who enjoy the horror genre: Settle in with your significant other and view Together. This independent film success of 2025 recently had its online premiere via Hulu. At first glance, it might appear like conventional body horror, but within Together lies a intense examination about our choices in loving one another.
A Directorial Debut Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together represents the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have remained a couple for over ten years. Having wed in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a special spark to their characters, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The narrative commences when Millie and Tim relocate from the metropolis to the country for her career. A commonly used narrative setup, sure, but that’s mostly where the conventions end. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the partnership as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the two fall into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity starts to affect the duo. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past simple connection.
The entire film is a slow burn fright fest, blending bits of dreamlike terrors, gross (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). The director orchestrates these parts neatly and delivers them in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is only the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and removed from his network of friends. He dreads the concept of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is intensified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect in this movie refrains from painting Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
The couple grapple with the kind of problems that arise in most partnerships a decade in. Deep down, they continue to care for each other. They still laugh together, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the otherworldly presence in Together represent these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to another person, the allegory avoids being overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama serve the other symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a strong argument for remaining unattached. On the other hand, some couples experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your other half and state, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can experience today.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu at present.
