Here's a challenge for partners in committed relationships who appreciate horror films: Get comfortable with your partner and stream Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie recently had its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. Outwardly, it might appear like typical body horror, but beneath Together resides a deep contemplation about how we choose to love each other.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, the two stars bring a special spark to their roles, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a enduring union.
The story commences when the couple relocate from the big city to the rural area for Millie’s job. A familiar story element, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the tropes cease. Together evolves 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 new home, a tempest descends, and the protagonists tumble into an underground cave. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a strange force takes hold of the pair. This force creates a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding simple connection.
The entire film is a methodically building of scares, blending moments of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and delivers them in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and removed from his support system. He fears the concept of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in Millie. This fear is intensified by the fact he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision is that he never makes Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie grapple with the kind of problems that arise in most partnerships a decade in. Deep down, they continue to care for each other. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these anxieties of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to another person, the symbolism does not come across as overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a strong argument for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could function as a telling indicator of how you think about commitment. Will the ending inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your other half and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can undertake right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu now.
