Consider this a challenge for partners in committed relationships who are fans of horror films: Get comfortable with your partner and watch Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like standard body horror, but inside Together exists a profound meditation about the ways we decide to love one another.
An Introductory Film Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together represents the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, partners that have remained a couple for a decade. Married in actuality in 2017, the two stars bring a special spark to their characters, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The narrative begins when Tim and Millie transition from the urban environment to the countryside for Millie’s job. A familiar narrative setup, admittedly, but that’s largely where the tropes conclude. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While hiking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists discover an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a strange force starts to affect the pair. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a methodically building of scares, weaving in moments of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but never too gross) physical transformations, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and presents them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is suffering due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Tim, on the other hand feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and removed from his social circle. He is terrified of the notion of completely losing his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie never makes either of his characters the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie face the type of challenges that come with any relationship after ten years. Deep down, they have affection for each other. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these anxieties of codependency and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor does not come across as clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights work together in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. On the other hand, some couples experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the ending inspire anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your partner and say, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can experience today.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform at present.
