Consider this a test for partners in committed relationships who appreciate scary movies: Sit down with your partner and watch Together. The 2025 indie hit just made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it might appear like conventional body horror, but inside Together resides a intense examination about how we choose to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together is the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for a decade. Having wed in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a special spark to their roles, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The narrative begins when the couple relocate from the metropolis to the country for her career. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, of course, but that’s mostly where the tropes end. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the protagonists discover an underground cave. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity takes hold of the pair. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The complete narrative is a slow burn horror experience, blending bits of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). The director orchestrates these parts seamlessly and delivers them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is suffering due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and removed from his social circle. He dreads the notion of totally forfeiting his sense of self in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision is that he never makes Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie confront the sort of issues that come with long-term unions over a long period. Fundamentally, they continue to care for each other. They share moments of joy, offer support, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these anxieties of codependency and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the symbolism does not come across as overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. Accounts suggest that single viewers have seen the movie as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Conversely, some couples having disagreements 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 telling indicator of how you think about commitment. Will the finale sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your significant other and state, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can experience right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
