We present a test for partners in committed relationships who are fans of the horror genre: Sit down with your partner and stream Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its online premiere on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it may seem like conventional body horror, but beneath Together resides a deep contemplation about our choices in loving our partners.
A Directorial Debut Delving into The Nuances of Love
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, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for ten years. Having wed in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a particular energy to their characters, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The story begins when Millie and Tim relocate from the urban environment to the rural area for Millie’s job. A commonly used plot device, sure, but that’s mostly where the conventions cease. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their country house, a tempest descends, 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 pair. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The whole movie is a slow burn of scares, blending moments of dreamlike terrors, gross (but never too gross) physical transformations, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes during something disturbing). Shanks skillfully blends these components neatly and delivers them in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is suffering due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
Tim, on the other hand senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and far away from his support system. He dreads the idea of totally forfeiting his sense of self in another person. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together avoids making one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Both characters confront the kind of problems that come with most partnerships over a long period. At their core, they still love one another. They share moments of joy, offer support, and share intimately at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the allegory does not come across as hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal work together in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your partner and utter, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an exploration you can undertake today.
Together is available to watch on Hulu now.
