Here's a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy horror films: Sit down with your significant other and watch Together. The independent film success of 2025 just made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. On the surface, it might appear like typical physical horror, but within Together lies a deep meditation about how we choose to love each other.
An Introductory Film Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together represents the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for ten years. United in marriage in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a unique chemistry to their characters, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The story begins when Tim and Millie move from the metropolis to the countryside for Millie’s job. A commonly used story element, of course, but that’s mostly where the conventions conclude. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their country house, a storm hits, and the protagonists discover an underground cave. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a strange force begins influencing the pair. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a methodically building horror experience, weaving in moments of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes during something disturbing). Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and presents them in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is only the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and distant from his network of friends. He is terrified of the notion of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the fact he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision is that he never makes one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
Both characters face the sort of issues that come with any relationship over a long period. Fundamentally, they have affection for each other. They share moments of joy, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of codependency and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor does not come across as hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that single viewers have seen the movie as a strong argument for staying single. Meanwhile, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the finale sow anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you identify in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your partner and utter, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu at present.
