Consider this a dare for partners in committed relationships who appreciate the horror genre: Settle in with your loved one and watch Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie recently had its online premiere via Hulu. At first glance, it may seem like conventional body horror, but within Together exists a deep examination about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It showcases actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, partners that have been together for ten years. Married in real life in 2017, the actors infuse a special spark to their roles, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The narrative starts when the couple transition from the metropolis to the rural area for Millie’s job. A commonly used plot device, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the conventions cease. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their new home, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim fall into an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a strange force starts to affect the duo. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past simple connection.
The whole movie is a methodically building fright fest, weaving in moments of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but tastefully done) body horror, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together seamlessly and wraps them up in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is suffering due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
Tim, on the other hand experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and removed from his support system. He fears the notion of completely losing his individual identity in his partner. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he refrains from painting Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Both characters confront the kind of problems that come with any relationship over a long period. At their core, they still love each other. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these concerns of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the symbolism never feels hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama serve the other in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have seen the movie as a strong argument for staying single. Meanwhile, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could act as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply look at your partner and state, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can experience right now.
Together is currently playing on Hulu now.
