Consider this a test for partners in committed relationships who enjoy scary movies: Settle in with your significant other and watch Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. At first glance, it may seem like typical body horror, but inside Together lies a intense examination about the ways we decide to love each other.
A Debut Feature Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together is the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It showcases actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, partners that have been together for a decade. Having wed in real life in 2017, the actors contribute a unique chemistry to their characters, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The story commences when Millie and Tim transition from the big city to the countryside for professional reasons. A commonly used narrative setup, of course, but that’s largely where the conventions cease. Together transforms into as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the two fall into an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity starts to affect the couple. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The whole movie is a slow burn of scares, blending moments of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes amidst something horrific). The director weaves these elements together expertly and delivers them in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and distant from his social circle. He is terrified of the notion of completely losing his individual identity in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he can’t drive and relies on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together refrains from painting Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
Both characters confront the type of challenges that come with long-term unions a decade in. At their core, they still love one another. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to a partner, the metaphor never feels clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a strong argument for remaining unattached. Conversely, some couples experiencing tension found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could act as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the finale sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your partner and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is streaming on the streaming service Hulu now.
