Here's a dare for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate horror films: Settle in with your partner and watch Together. The independent film success of 2025 recently had its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. On the surface, it could look like standard body horror, but inside Together lies a profound meditation about the ways we decide to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together represents the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for over ten years. United in marriage in real life in 2017, the two stars bring a unique chemistry to their characters, skillfully embodying both the strengths and weaknesses of a enduring union.
The story begins when Millie and Tim transition from the big city to the rural area for her career. A somewhat stereotypical story element, of course, but that’s largely where the conventions cease. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While hiking near their country house, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim tumble into an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a mysterious influence begins influencing the pair. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying horror experience, weaving in moments of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). The director skillfully blends these components seamlessly and delivers them in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and removed from his support system. He is terrified of the notion of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in another person. This fear is intensified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he refrains from painting either of his characters the obvious villain.
Both characters face the kind of problems that are inherent in any relationship over a long period. Deep down, they continue to care for one another. They still laugh together, provide solace, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to another person, the metaphor does not come across as overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. It has been said that single viewers have interpreted the film as a powerful case for staying single. On the other hand, some couples experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could function as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your other half and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform at present.
