Here's a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate scary movies: Sit down with your significant other and view Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie recently had its online premiere on Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like standard body horror, but beneath Together exists a intense meditation about how we choose to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for a decade. United in marriage in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a unique chemistry to their characters, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The narrative commences when Tim and Millie move from the metropolis to the country for her career. A familiar story element, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the cliches conclude. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and the two discover an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence begins influencing the duo. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a slow burn of scares, blending bits of fever-dream horrors, gross (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and authentically humorous exchanges (sometimes during something disturbing). Shanks skillfully blends these components neatly and presents them in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and far away from his support system. He is terrified of the notion of totally forfeiting his individual identity in another person. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he avoids making one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
Both characters face the sort of issues that come with long-term unions a decade in. Deep down, they have affection for each other. They find humor with each other, offer support, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these concerns of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to a partner, the metaphor never feels hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. Accounts suggest that single viewers have understood the narrative as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Meanwhile, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the ending sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply turn to your partner and say, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can experience at this very moment.
Together is streaming on Hulu as of this moment.
