Consider this a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate scary movies: Sit down with your significant other and stream Together. The independent film success of 2025 just made its online premiere on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it could look like standard body horror, but within Together exists a deep meditation about how we choose to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together is the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have been together for over ten years. Having wed in real life in 2017, the actors infuse a particular energy to their characters, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The story begins when the couple move from the big city to the rural area for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, of course, but that’s primarily where the conventions end. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the protagonists tumble into an underground cave. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence begins influencing the couple. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past simple connection.
The entire film is a slow burn fright fest, weaving in moments of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but tastefully done) body horror, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). The director orchestrates these parts seamlessly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and far away from his network of friends. He fears the concept of completely losing his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is amplified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie avoids making Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
Both characters grapple with the sort of issues that come with any relationship after ten years. Fundamentally, they still love one another. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these fears of excessive reliance and fully committing to another person, the allegory avoids being hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the ending plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply look at your significant other and utter, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can undertake right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform now.
