Here's a challenge for long-term couples who enjoy horror films: Get comfortable with your significant other and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its online premiere on Hulu. Outwardly, it could look like standard body horror, but beneath Together exists a deep contemplation about our choices in loving one another.
A Debut Feature Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together is the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for a decade. United in marriage in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a particular energy to their roles, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The narrative starts when Millie and Tim relocate from the urban environment to the countryside for her career. A familiar plot device, sure, but that’s primarily where the cliches conclude. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their country house, a storm hits, and the protagonists tumble into an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity starts to affect the pair. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The whole movie is a slow burn horror experience, weaving in bits of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but never too gross) physical transformations, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes during something grotesque). The director orchestrates these parts expertly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is waning due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and distant from his network of friends. He fears the notion of completely losing his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he can’t drive and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he refrains from painting either of his characters the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie grapple with the sort of issues that are inherent in any relationship a decade in. At their core, they still love one another. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of codependency and fully committing to a partner, the allegory never feels overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights work together in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could function as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your other half and state, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can experience at this very moment.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
