We present a challenge for long-term couples who are fans of the horror genre: Sit down with your loved one and watch Together. The 2025 indie hit just made its streaming debut via Hulu. On the surface, it could look like conventional body horror, but within Together exists a intense examination about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Debut Feature Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together marks the first full-length movie for director 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 remained a couple for a decade. Having wed in reality in 2017, the two stars bring a unique chemistry to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The narrative starts when Millie and Tim relocate from the big city to the country for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, sure, but that’s mostly where the cliches conclude. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim fall into an underground cave. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a mysterious influence starts to affect the duo. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a slow burn fright fest, blending bits of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes amidst something disturbing). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and delivers them in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they deftly portray countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his floundering music career inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and far away from his social circle. He dreads the notion of completely losing 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 Together avoids making either of his characters the definite antagonist.
The couple face the sort of issues that are inherent in any relationship over a long period. At their core, they still love each other. They find humor with each other, offer support, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these anxieties of codependency and fully committing to a partner, the allegory does not come across as clumsy or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a strong argument for staying single. Meanwhile, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could act as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the ending plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your significant other and state, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform now.
