We present a dare for partners in committed relationships who enjoy the horror genre: Sit down with your partner and watch Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it may seem like standard body horror, but beneath Together lies a profound meditation about how we choose to love each other.
A Directorial Debut Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together represents the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for a decade. United in marriage in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a special spark to their roles, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The narrative starts when Millie and Tim move from the urban environment to the country for Millie’s job. A familiar narrative setup, sure, but that’s largely where the cliches conclude. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their new home, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim fall into an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence starts to affect the pair. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a methodically building fright fest, weaving in moments of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and delivers them in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Nuanced Portrayals
A great deal of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and sense of connection is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and far away from his network of friends. He is terrified of the idea of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in another person. This fear is amplified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie never makes either of his characters the clear bad guy.
The couple grapple with the type of challenges that arise in long-term unions after ten years. At their core, they have affection for one another. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an unavoidable feeling of questioning about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these fears of codependency and totally devoting oneself to another person, the allegory never feels hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments offer a perfect parallel to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for staying single. Conversely, certain partners having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you think about commitment. Will the finale inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your significant other and say, “I understand that choice”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is streaming on Hulu as of this moment.
