We present a test for partners in committed relationships who appreciate the horror genre: Get comfortable with your partner and watch Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie recently had its streaming debut on Hulu. On the surface, it may seem like standard body horror, but beneath Together resides a profound meditation about our choices in loving each other.
A Debut Feature Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together marks the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for a decade. United in marriage in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a unique chemistry to their characters, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The story starts when Tim and Millie move from the big city to the rural area for her career. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the cliches cease. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the two discover an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence takes hold of the pair. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The whole movie is a slow burn horror experience, blending elements of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes amidst something disturbing). The director skillfully blends these components expertly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and removed from his social circle. He is terrified of the concept of totally forfeiting his sense of self in another person. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision is that he avoids making one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie grapple with the sort of issues that are inherent in most partnerships over a long period. At their core, they continue to care for one another. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these concerns of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor does not come across as clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide 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 remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could act as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale inspire anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you identify in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your significant other and state, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu now.
