We present a test for partners in committed relationships who enjoy horror films: Get comfortable with your partner and view Together. This 2025 indie hit just made its online premiere on Hulu. Outwardly, it might appear like typical body horror, but inside Together lies a profound contemplation about how we choose to love each other.
An Introductory Film Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together is the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for ten years. Married in reality in 2017, the actors contribute a particular energy to their roles, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a enduring union.
The narrative starts when Tim and Millie transition from the urban environment to the rural area for her career. A somewhat stereotypical story element, sure, but that’s primarily where the tropes end. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their country house, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim discover an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a strange force begins influencing the pair. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past simple connection.
The complete narrative is a methodically building fright fest, blending moments of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes during something disturbing). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts seamlessly and delivers them in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his floundering music career inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and far away from his social circle. He dreads the notion of totally forfeiting his individual identity in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he never makes Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
The couple confront the type of challenges that arise in any relationship a decade in. At their core, they continue to care for each other. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor never feels clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. It has been said that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a compelling reason for staying single. Conversely, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could function as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your other half and say, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can undertake right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu as of this moment.
