Here's a test for partners in committed relationships who are fans of the horror genre: Get comfortable with your loved one and view Together. The independent film success of 2025 just made its streaming debut on Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like typical physical horror, but within Together exists a deep contemplation about the ways we decide to love each other.
An Introductory Film Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together represents the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Millie and Tim, partners that have remained a couple for over ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a unique chemistry to their characters, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The narrative begins when the couple move from the urban environment to the country for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, sure, but that’s primarily where the cliches end. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and the two discover an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a strange force takes hold of the duo. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a slow burn fright fest, weaving in bits of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes amidst something disturbing). The director skillfully blends these components expertly and delivers them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his floundering music career gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and distant from his support system. He dreads the concept of completely losing his individual identity in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie never makes either of his characters the clear bad guy.
Both characters face the type of challenges that arise in any relationship after ten years. At their core, they still love each other. They find humor with each other, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these anxieties of excessive reliance and fully committing to a partner, the metaphor does not come across as hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights serve the other in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could act as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply look at your other half and state, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can experience at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu now.
