We present a dare for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate the horror genre: Sit down with your loved one and watch Together. This independent film success of 2025 recently had its online premiere via Hulu. At first glance, it may seem like typical body horror, but beneath Together resides a profound examination about the ways we decide to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together is the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, partners that have remained a couple for ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a unique chemistry to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The narrative commences when the couple relocate from the urban environment to the rural area for Millie’s job. A commonly used plot device, of course, but that’s largely where the conventions cease. Together transforms 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 country house, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim tumble into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a strange force begins influencing the pair. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past simple connection.
The whole movie is a methodically building fright fest, weaving in bits of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but tastefully done) body horror, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). The director weaves these elements together seamlessly and delivers them in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is only the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits slowly bubbles to the surface.
Tim, on the other hand experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and distant from his social circle. He is terrified of the notion of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie avoids making either of his characters the definite antagonist.
The couple face the type of challenges that arise in any relationship over a long period. At their core, they continue to care for one another. They still laugh together, offer support, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together represent these concerns of excessive reliance and fully committing to another person, the allegory avoids being clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a perfect parallel 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 won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a compelling reason for staying single. Conversely, some couples experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could act as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your significant other and utter, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can undertake today.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
