Consider this a test for partners in committed relationships who are fans of the horror genre: Sit down with your partner and stream Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like typical physical horror, but beneath Together lies a deep examination about the ways we decide to love our partners.
A Debut Feature Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together is the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for over ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, the two stars infuse a particular energy to their roles, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The narrative starts when the couple transition from the metropolis to the rural area for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical story element, sure, but that’s mostly where the tropes cease. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim discover an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity starts to affect the duo. This force creates a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a methodically building horror experience, interspersing moments of fever-dream horrors, gross (but never too gross) body horror, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and distant from his network of friends. He fears the idea of totally forfeiting his individual identity in Millie. This fear is intensified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect in this movie avoids making one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
The couple face the kind of problems that are inherent in any relationship over a long period. Deep down, they continue to care for each other. They still laugh together, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these anxieties of codependency and giving oneself over to a partner, the symbolism does not come across as overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements offer a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, some couples experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the ending inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your other half and state, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is streaming on Hulu now.
