We present a test for partners in committed relationships who appreciate the horror genre: Get comfortable with your partner and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its online premiere on the Hulu service. On the surface, it might appear like standard body horror, but within Together lies a intense examination about how we choose to love one another.
A Debut Feature Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for ten years. Having wed in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a special spark to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The narrative commences when the couple transition from the urban environment to the countryside for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical story element, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the cliches cease. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim discover an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a strange force begins influencing the pair. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a methodically building of scares, weaving in bits of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but tastefully done) body horror, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). The director weaves these elements together neatly and wraps them up in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve moved to the country and far away from his network of friends. He fears the concept of completely losing his sense of self in his partner. This fear is amplified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision is that he avoids making either of his characters the clear bad guy.
Both characters confront the sort of issues that come with long-term unions a decade in. At their core, they have affection for each other. They still laugh together, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the symbolism never feels overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, certain partners having disagreements found that the film actually helped them make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could function as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your partner and utter, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can experience right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu as of this moment.
