We present a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate the horror genre: Get comfortable with your partner and stream Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. On the surface, it may seem like standard body horror, but within Together lies a deep meditation about how we choose to love each other.
An Introductory Film Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together marks the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, partners that have stayed together for a decade. Married in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a unique chemistry to their roles, skillfully embodying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The plot begins when the couple move from the urban environment to the country for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, of course, but that’s primarily where the conventions end. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their country house, a tempest descends, and the two discover an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence begins influencing the duo. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a slow burn of scares, blending moments of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts seamlessly and presents them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is exclusively 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 lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and removed from his network of friends. He dreads the notion of completely losing his sense of self in his partner. This fear is intensified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together refrains from painting Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
Both characters grapple with the sort of issues that are inherent in long-term unions a decade in. At their core, they have affection for each other. They still laugh together, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to another person, the metaphor never feels hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a brilliant analogue to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal work together in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. Conversely, some couples experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could function as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion sow anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply look at your other half and say, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can undertake right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform at present.
