Here's a test for long-term couples who are fans of the horror genre: Settle in with your partner and watch Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. At first glance, it could look like typical body horror, but within Together lies a profound meditation about our choices in loving our partners.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together is the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It stars actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for a decade. Having wed in actuality in 2017, the two stars bring a particular energy to their roles, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The story commences when Tim and Millie transition from the metropolis to the rural area for her career. A somewhat stereotypical story element, admittedly, but that’s largely where the conventions end. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the two fall into an underground cave. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a strange force starts to affect the duo. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a methodically building horror experience, interspersing moments of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes amidst something disturbing). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and presents them in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
Tim, on the other hand experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and far away from his support system. He is terrified of the idea of totally forfeiting his sense of self in another person. This fear is intensified by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie avoids making either of his characters the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie confront the sort of issues that arise in any relationship a decade in. At their core, they still love each other. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these anxieties of codependency and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the symbolism does not come across as overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that single viewers have seen the movie as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, some couples having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could function as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply look at your other half and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can embark on today.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform at present.
