We present a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of horror films: Get comfortable with your partner and watch Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its online premiere via Hulu. At first glance, it may seem like typical body horror, but beneath Together lies a profound meditation about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Debut Feature Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together represents 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 ten years. Married in reality in 2017, the two stars bring a special spark to their characters, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The plot begins when Millie and Tim transition from the metropolis to the rural area for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, of course, but that’s primarily where the conventions cease. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their new home, a storm hits, and the protagonists discover an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a strange force takes hold of the pair. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying horror experience, interspersing elements of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes during something horrific). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts seamlessly and presents them in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Complex Characterizations
A great deal of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they masterfully render countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his floundering music career gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and far away from his support system. He fears the idea of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he can’t drive and needs Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision in Together never makes one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
Both characters grapple with the type of challenges that come with most partnerships a decade in. Deep down, they continue to care for one another. They still laugh together, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these fears of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to another person, the allegory avoids being overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a powerful case for remaining unattached. On the other hand, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending inspire anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you identify in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your other half and say, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can embark on today.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
