Here's a test for partners in committed relationships who appreciate horror films: Get comfortable with your significant other and view Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its online premiere via Hulu. At first glance, it may seem like standard physical horror, but within Together resides a deep contemplation about how we choose to love our partners.
A Directorial Debut Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have stayed together for a decade. Married in reality in 2017, the two stars bring a particular energy to their characters, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The narrative begins when Tim and Millie move from the big city to the country for professional reasons. A commonly used story element, sure, but that’s mostly where the tropes cease. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists discover an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence starts to affect the pair. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The whole movie is a slow burn fright fest, interspersing bits of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but never too gross) body horror, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes during something grotesque). Shanks orchestrates these parts seamlessly and wraps them up in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Tim, on the other hand feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and removed from his network of friends. He dreads the notion of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he never makes Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie grapple with the sort of issues that are inherent in most partnerships over a long period. At their core, they continue to care for one another. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together represent these anxieties of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the metaphor does not come across as overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that single viewers have seen the movie as a powerful case for staying single. Meanwhile, certain partners having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could function as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your partner and say, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform now.
