We present a test for long-term couples who enjoy scary movies: Sit down with your significant other and view Together. This independent film success of 2025 just made its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like standard body horror, but within Together resides a profound meditation about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Millie and Tim, partners that have been together for a decade. Having wed in real life in 2017, the actors bring a particular energy to their characters, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The story begins when Millie and Tim relocate from the urban environment to the country for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the conventions end. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their new home, a storm hits, and the protagonists discover an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a strange force takes hold of the pair. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying fright fest, interspersing moments of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes during something grotesque). Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and presents them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and removed from his network of friends. He is terrified of the concept of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is amplified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he refrains from painting one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
The couple grapple with the sort of issues that come with any relationship a decade in. At their core, they still love each other. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these concerns of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to a partner, the allegory avoids being overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal work together in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could function as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the ending plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your partner and say, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can experience right now.
Together is streaming on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
