Consider this a test for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of the horror genre: Sit down with your significant other and watch Together. The 2025 indie hit recently had its online premiere on the Hulu service. At first glance, it might appear like typical physical horror, but beneath Together lies a profound meditation about our choices in loving one another.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together is the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, partners that have been together for over ten years. Having wed in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a special spark to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The narrative starts when the couple transition from the big city to the country for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, of course, but that’s mostly where the cliches conclude. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the two tumble into an underground cave. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity takes hold of the couple. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past simple connection.
The whole movie is a slow burn of scares, weaving in elements of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes amidst something disturbing). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and presents them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A significant portion of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is suffering due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
Tim, on the other hand senses confinement and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and removed from his support system. He is terrified of the concept of completely losing his individual identity in another person. This fear is intensified by the fact he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he refrains from painting Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie face the type of challenges that are inherent in most partnerships over a long period. At their core, they have affection for each other. They still laugh together, provide solace, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to a partner, the allegory avoids being overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements offer a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a powerful case for remaining unattached. Conversely, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could function as a telling indicator of how you think about commitment. Will the ending sow anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your partner and utter, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can experience at this very moment.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform at present.
