Consider this a dare for long-term couples who are fans of horror films: Sit down with your loved one and watch Together. This 2025 indie hit has now made its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like typical body horror, but within Together exists a deep examination about how we choose to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together marks the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for over ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, the actors infuse a special spark to their roles, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The narrative begins when the couple relocate from the big city to the countryside for Millie’s job. A commonly used plot device, of course, but that’s primarily where the conventions end. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their new home, a storm hits, and the protagonists discover an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a strange force begins influencing the duo. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The whole movie is a slow burn of scares, interspersing elements of dreamlike terrors, gross (but tastefully done) body horror, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes during something disturbing). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components expertly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is only the two lead actors, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and distant from his social circle. He fears the idea of totally forfeiting his individual identity in his partner. This fear is intensified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for mobility.
The film's most intelligent aspect in this movie refrains from painting Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
The couple grapple with the type of challenges that are inherent in most partnerships over a long period. Deep down, they continue to care for each other. They still laugh together, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these concerns of codependency and giving oneself over to a partner, the symbolism avoids being overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. Conversely, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could act as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion plant anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your partner and say, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu as of this moment.
