Consider this a challenge for partners in committed relationships who enjoy the horror genre: Sit down with your loved one and view Together. The 2025 indie hit just made its streaming debut on Hulu. Outwardly, it might appear like conventional body horror, but inside Together resides a intense contemplation about our choices in loving our partners.
A Debut Feature Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together marks the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for over ten years. Married in real life in 2017, the two stars bring a particular energy to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The plot commences when Millie and Tim transition from the urban environment to the countryside for her career. A familiar story element, sure, but that’s mostly where the tropes end. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists discover an underground cave. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity starts to affect the duo. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The entire film is a slow burn fright fest, blending elements of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes amidst something horrific). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together seamlessly and presents them in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and far away from his support system. He dreads the concept of totally forfeiting his sense of self in his partner. This fear is amplified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for mobility.
The film's most intelligent aspect in Together refrains from painting either of his characters the definite antagonist.
Both characters face the kind of problems that come with most partnerships a decade in. Deep down, they have affection for one another. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these fears of codependency and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the symbolism does not come across as clumsy or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for staying single. Conversely, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could act as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending sow anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in one of the characters and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your significant other and state, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can experience today.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
