Here's a test for long-term couples who are fans of horror films: Get comfortable with your loved one and view Together. The independent film success of 2025 has now made its online premiere on Hulu. At first glance, it could look like standard body horror, but beneath Together lies a intense examination about the ways we decide to love one another.
An Introductory Film Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together marks the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for a decade. Having wed in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a special spark to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The plot begins when the couple move from the big city to the country for her career. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, of course, but that’s mostly where the cliches conclude. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim fall into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity takes hold of the duo. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The whole movie is a slow burn horror experience, weaving in bits of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Shanks weaves these elements together seamlessly and presents them in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is only the two lead actors, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his floundering music career gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and distant from his social circle. He is terrified of the concept of completely losing his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together refrains from painting Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Both characters grapple with the type of challenges that arise in any relationship over a long period. At their core, they still love each other. They share moments of joy, offer support, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these anxieties of codependency and giving oneself over to a partner, the allegory never feels hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Conversely, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could function as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your other half and say, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu now.
