Consider this a test for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy horror films: Settle in with your partner and view Together. This independent film success of 2025 just made its online premiere via Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like standard body horror, but beneath Together lies a profound examination about the ways we decide to love our partners.
An Introductory Film Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together represents the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, partners that have stayed together for ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, the actors bring a special spark to their characters, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The story starts when Millie and Tim relocate from the metropolis to the countryside for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the tropes conclude. Together transforms into as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their country house, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim fall into an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity begins influencing the duo. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a methodically building of scares, blending elements of dreamlike terrors, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together neatly and presents them in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his floundering music career inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and removed from his social circle. He is terrified of the concept of completely losing his sense of self in another person. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect in Together never makes Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie confront the kind of problems that come with long-term unions a decade in. Deep down, they still love one another. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these concerns of codependency and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the symbolism avoids being hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. It has been said that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your other half and state, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu now.
