Here's a challenge for partners in committed relationships who enjoy horror films: Sit down with your loved one and watch Together. This 2025 indie hit just made its online premiere on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it could look like standard body horror, but inside Together exists a deep meditation about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together represents the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have been together for a decade. United in marriage in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a special spark to their characters, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The plot begins when the couple relocate from the big city to the rural area for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical story element, of course, but that’s primarily where the cliches end. Together transforms into as much a examination of mental states of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their new home, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim fall into an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a strange force begins influencing the couple. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying horror experience, interspersing elements of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes amidst something grotesque). The director weaves these elements together expertly and presents them in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and removed from his network of friends. He is terrified of the notion of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in another person. This fear is amplified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he refrains from painting one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
The couple confront the sort of issues that arise in any relationship after ten years. Deep down, they have affection for 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 supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to a partner, the allegory avoids being clumsy or self-important. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that single viewers have understood the narrative as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. Conversely, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could function as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your other half and say, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu as of this moment.
