We present a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of horror films: Get comfortable with your partner and watch Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. At first glance, it might appear like conventional biological terror, but inside Together exists a deep meditation about how we choose to love each other.
An Introductory Film Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together is the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for a decade. United in marriage in reality in 2017, the two stars bring a special spark to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The narrative starts when the couple relocate from the big city to the countryside for Millie’s job. A familiar plot device, of course, but that’s mostly where the conventions end. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists tumble into an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity starts to affect the pair. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a methodically building horror experience, weaving in elements of fever-dream horrors, gross (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes amidst something disturbing). Shanks skillfully blends these components neatly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
Tim, on the other hand experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and removed from his support system. He is terrified of the concept of totally forfeiting his sense of self in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision is that he refrains from painting either of his characters the clear bad guy.
The couple confront the sort of issues that come with any relationship over a long period. Fundamentally, they have affection for each other. They still laugh together, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these anxieties of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the metaphor never feels overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. Conversely, some couples experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could act as a telling indicator of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your partner and say, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can undertake right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform now.
