Here's a dare for partners in committed relationships who are fans of horror films: Settle in with your loved one and watch Together. The independent film success of 2025 just made its online premiere on the Hulu service. On the surface, it may seem like conventional body horror, but beneath Together resides a profound meditation about our choices in loving one another.
A Debut Feature Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, the two stars infuse a special spark to their roles, skillfully embodying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The story commences when the couple transition from the urban environment to the countryside for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, sure, but that’s mostly where the tropes conclude. Together transforms into as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their new home, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim fall into an underground cave. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a strange force begins influencing the pair. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a methodically building horror experience, blending elements of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but never too gross) body horror, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). The director orchestrates these parts expertly and delivers them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A great deal of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and removed from his network of friends. He dreads the notion of totally forfeiting his sense of self in Millie. This fear is amplified by the fact he can’t drive and needs Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision is that he avoids making Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie confront the type of challenges that are inherent in long-term unions a decade in. At their core, they continue to care for each other. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these anxieties of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to a partner, the metaphor never feels clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. Conversely, some couples who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could function as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your other half and utter, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can embark on right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu as of this moment.
