We present a dare for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate scary movies: Sit down with your partner and watch Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. On the surface, it could look like standard physical horror, but inside Together exists a intense examination about how we choose to love each other.
A Directorial Debut Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together marks the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have remained a couple for a decade. Having wed in real life in 2017, the actors bring a unique chemistry to their roles, skillfully embodying both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The plot starts when the couple move from the urban environment to the rural area for her career. A commonly used story element, admittedly, but that’s largely where the tropes conclude. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the two fall into an underground cave. After spending the night there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity takes hold of the duo. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a slow burn horror experience, blending moments of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes during something disturbing). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and presents them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A great deal of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his floundering music career inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and distant from his network of friends. He dreads the idea of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in Millie. This fear is amplified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision in Together avoids making either of his characters the obvious villain.
The couple face the sort of issues that are inherent in any relationship over a long period. At their core, they continue to care for each other. They still laugh together, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an persistent undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to another person, the symbolism does not come across as hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a strong argument for staying single. Meanwhile, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you think about commitment. Will the ending plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you identify in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your other half and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can experience at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
