Consider this a test for partners in committed relationships who enjoy the horror genre: Get comfortable with your loved one and stream Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie recently had its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. On the surface, it could look like typical physical horror, but beneath Together lies a intense contemplation about the ways we decide to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together represents the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for over ten years. United in marriage in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a particular energy to their characters, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The plot starts when Millie and Tim move from the metropolis to the rural area for Millie’s job. A familiar narrative setup, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the cliches cease. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim discover an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a strange force begins influencing the couple. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The whole movie is a slow burn of scares, weaving in bits of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes amidst something horrific). The director weaves these elements together seamlessly and wraps them up in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is solely 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 lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his floundering music career inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and distant from his support system. He is terrified of the notion of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he can’t drive and relies on Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision in Together never makes Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Both characters confront the sort of issues that come with any relationship after ten years. At their core, they still love each other. They find humor with each other, offer support, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of codependency and totally devoting oneself to another person, the allegory does not come across as hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a strong argument for staying single. On the other hand, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could act as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your partner and say, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can embark on right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu at present.
