Consider this a test for partners in committed relationships who enjoy scary movies: Sit down with your loved one and watch Together. This independent film success of 2025 just made its online premiere via Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like typical physical horror, but beneath Together lies a deep meditation about our choices in loving our partners.
A Debut Feature Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together marks the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have stayed together for over ten years. Married in real life in 2017, the actors bring a particular energy to their roles, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The plot starts when Millie and Tim relocate from the urban environment to the country for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, sure, but that’s primarily where the tropes end. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their country house, a storm hits, and the protagonists tumble into an underground cave. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a strange force takes hold of the couple. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The whole movie is a methodically building of scares, interspersing moments of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes during something grotesque). The director weaves these elements together seamlessly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and far away from his network of friends. He is terrified of the concept of completely losing his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie avoids making Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Both characters grapple with the sort of issues that come with long-term unions after ten years. Fundamentally, they continue to care for one another. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these fears of codependency and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the metaphor never feels overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, some couples who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own response could act as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion sow anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your significant other and say, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
