Consider this a dare for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of the horror genre: Sit down with your loved one and stream Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its online premiere via Hulu. Outwardly, it could look like conventional physical horror, but within Together exists a profound meditation about our choices in loving each other.
A Debut Feature Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together is the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, partners that have stayed together for a decade. Married in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a special spark to their roles, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The narrative commences when Millie and Tim move from the urban environment to the countryside for Millie’s job. A familiar narrative setup, sure, but that’s mostly where the conventions cease. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While hiking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the two discover an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a strange force begins influencing the pair. This force creates a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a slow burn horror experience, blending moments of fever-dream horrors, gross (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes during something horrific). The director weaves these elements together expertly and delivers them in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and removed from his support system. He is terrified of the idea of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie avoids making one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie confront the type of challenges that are inherent in any relationship after ten years. Deep down, they continue to care for each other. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an persistent undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these concerns of codependency and totally devoting oneself to another person, the metaphor never feels overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights serve the other symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have interpreted the film as a powerful case for staying single. Conversely, certain partners having disagreements found that the film actually helped them make up.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could act as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the ending inspire anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in one of the characters and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your partner and state, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
