Consider this a dare for partners in committed relationships who enjoy scary movies: Settle in with your loved one and view Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it could look like conventional physical horror, but beneath Together resides a intense meditation about how we choose to love our partners.
A Directorial Debut Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together is the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It stars actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have remained a couple for a decade. Having wed in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a particular energy to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The plot commences when the couple move from the urban environment to the country for her career. A commonly used narrative setup, sure, but that’s largely where the conventions end. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their country house, a storm hits, and the protagonists discover an underground cave. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity begins influencing the pair. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The whole movie is a methodically building horror experience, weaving in elements of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes amidst something disturbing). The director weaves these elements together seamlessly and delivers them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is deteriorating 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 distant from his network of friends. He is terrified of the concept of totally forfeiting his individual identity in another person. This fear is amplified by the reality he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he never makes either of his characters the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie face the sort of issues that are inherent in long-term unions over a long period. Fundamentally, they have affection for one another. They still laugh together, offer support, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these fears of codependency and giving oneself over to a partner, the symbolism avoids being hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights serve the other symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Conversely, certain partners having disagreements found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the finale inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply turn to your other half and state, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can embark on right now.
Together is currently playing on Hulu at present.
