We present a challenge for long-term couples who appreciate horror films: Settle in with your partner and view Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its launch on a streaming platform on Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like typical physical horror, but beneath Together resides a profound contemplation about how we choose to love each other.
An Introductory Film Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together marks the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have been together for a decade. United in marriage in reality in 2017, the two stars bring a particular energy to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The narrative commences when Millie and Tim transition from the urban environment to the country for Millie’s job. A commonly used plot device, sure, but that’s primarily where the conventions cease. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and Millie and Tim tumble into an hole in the earth. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity starts to affect the couple. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a slow burn fright fest, interspersing bits of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but never too gross) body horror, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes during something grotesque). Shanks weaves these elements together seamlessly and wraps them up in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his floundering music career gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and distant from his support system. He fears the notion of completely losing his individual identity in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in Together avoids making one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
Both characters face the kind of problems that arise in any relationship after ten years. At their core, they have affection for each other. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these concerns of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to another person, the symbolism avoids being clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have seen the movie as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Conversely, certain partners having disagreements found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could act as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the ending plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your partner and state, “We could get through that together”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can undertake today.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
