Consider this a test for partners in committed relationships who appreciate the horror genre: Get comfortable with your partner and stream Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it might appear like standard body horror, but inside Together lies a profound contemplation about how we choose to love each other.
A Debut Feature Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for over ten years. Having wed in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a special spark to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The narrative starts when Millie and Tim transition from the metropolis to the countryside for professional reasons. A commonly used plot device, sure, but that’s largely where the conventions end. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the two tumble into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity begins influencing the couple. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The whole movie is a methodically building fright fest, blending bits of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous exchanges (sometimes during something disturbing). Shanks orchestrates these parts seamlessly and presents them in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is suffering due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and removed from his network of friends. He fears the notion of completely losing his sense of self in his partner. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in Together never makes either of his characters the obvious villain.
Both characters confront the kind of problems that are inherent in most partnerships after ten years. At their core, they still love one another. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these anxieties of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the metaphor does not come across as overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights work together in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your significant other and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can embark on right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
