We present a dare for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate the horror genre: Sit down with your loved one and stream Together. The independent film success of 2025 just made its streaming debut via Hulu. Outwardly, it could look like typical body horror, but beneath Together resides a profound examination about our choices in loving each other.
An Introductory Film Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together is 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 remained a couple for ten years. Having wed in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a unique chemistry to their characters, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The narrative commences when Millie and Tim relocate from the big city to the rural area for professional reasons. A commonly used story element, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the tropes end. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their country house, a storm hits, and the two fall into an underground cave. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a strange force begins influencing the pair. This force creates a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The entire film is a slow burn fright fest, blending elements of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes during something disturbing). The director skillfully blends these components neatly and delivers them in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is waning due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
Tim, on the other hand experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and far away from his support system. He fears the notion of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he can’t drive and needs Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together avoids making either of his characters the definite antagonist.
Both characters confront the type of challenges that arise in any relationship over a long period. At their core, they continue to care for each other. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these fears of excessive reliance and fully committing to another person, the symbolism avoids being overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for staying single. On the other hand, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them make up.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could act as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the finale inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your partner and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is streaming on Hulu as of this moment.
