We present a challenge for partners in committed relationships who enjoy horror films: Settle in with your significant other and watch Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. Outwardly, it could look like standard biological terror, but beneath Together resides a deep meditation about the ways we decide to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together is the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for a decade. Married in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a particular energy to their characters, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The narrative commences when Millie and Tim move from the big city to the countryside for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical story element, sure, but that’s largely where the conventions cease. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists discover an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a strange force begins influencing the couple. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a slow burn fright fest, weaving in moments of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and delivers them in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is waning due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and removed from his social circle. He fears the idea of completely losing his individual identity in another person. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie never makes Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Both characters face the type of challenges that arise in long-term unions a decade in. At their core, they still love each other. They share moments of joy, offer support, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of codependency and fully committing to another person, the allegory does not come across as hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that single viewers have seen the movie as a compelling reason for staying single. Conversely, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could act as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your other half and say, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can undertake today.
Together is currently playing on Hulu now.
