Consider this a test for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of scary movies: Settle in with your significant other and watch Together. The independent film success of 2025 has now made its online premiere via Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like typical physical horror, but beneath Together exists a intense meditation about our choices in loving one another.
A Debut Feature Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together marks the first full-length movie 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 been together for ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, the actors contribute a special spark to their roles, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The narrative begins when Millie and Tim relocate from the metropolis to the rural area for her career. A commonly used narrative setup, sure, but that’s primarily where the cliches end. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and the two discover an underground cave. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity starts to affect the duo. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The whole movie is a slow burn fright fest, weaving in bits of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). The director skillfully blends these components neatly and delivers them in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and distant from his support system. He is terrified of the idea of totally forfeiting his sense of self in Millie. This fear is amplified by the fact he can’t drive and needs Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision in Together avoids making Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
The couple grapple with the type of challenges that come with long-term unions a decade in. At their core, they still love one another. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of codependency and giving oneself over to a partner, the allegory does not come across as hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. Conversely, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could act as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion sow anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your other half and state, “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 at present.
