We present a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate the horror genre: Settle in with your loved one and watch Together. The 2025 indie hit just made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. At first glance, it might appear like standard body horror, but within Together lies a deep examination about how we choose to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together represents the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have been together for a decade. United in marriage in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a particular energy to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the strengths and weaknesses of a enduring union.
The plot begins when Millie and Tim relocate from the urban environment to the country for Millie’s job. A familiar story element, admittedly, but that’s largely where the tropes conclude. Together transforms into as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists fall into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a strange force starts to affect the duo. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a slow burn of scares, weaving in moments of dreamlike terrors, gross (but tastefully done) body horror, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes during something grotesque). The director skillfully blends these components expertly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting atmosphere of fear.
Complex Characterizations
A large part of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and removed from his social circle. He is terrified of the notion of completely losing his sense of self in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he can’t drive and needs Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision is that he avoids making Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
Both characters grapple with the kind of problems that arise in long-term unions a decade in. At their core, they still love one another. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these concerns of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to a partner, the metaphor never feels hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes offer a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal serve the other symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a strong argument for staying single. Conversely, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could act as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your partner and say, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can embark on today.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform now.
