Here's a dare for long-term couples who appreciate horror films: Sit down with your partner and watch Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its online premiere via Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like typical body horror, but beneath Together exists a intense meditation about our choices in loving our partners.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together is the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, partners that have been together for over ten years. Having wed in actuality in 2017, the two stars contribute a particular energy to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The plot commences when Millie and Tim move from the metropolis to the country for professional reasons. A commonly used plot device, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the conventions conclude. Together transforms into as much a examination of mental states of the pair’s relationship as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their country house, a storm hits, and the two fall into an underground cave. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a strange force begins influencing the pair. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The complete narrative is a methodically building horror experience, interspersing moments of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes during something horrific). The director skillfully blends these components expertly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and far away from his network of friends. He fears the notion of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is amplified by the reality he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision is that he avoids making one partner or the other the clear bad guy.
The couple confront the sort of issues that come with most partnerships a decade in. At their core, they have affection for one another. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of codependency and fully committing to a partner, the allegory avoids being clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a brilliant analogue to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights work together symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that single viewers have seen the movie as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Conversely, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the ending inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your partner and state, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can undertake right now.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
