Here's a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who appreciate horror films: Get comfortable with your loved one and stream Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie recently had its streaming debut on the Hulu service. At first glance, it might appear like conventional body horror, but beneath Together lies a deep meditation about how we choose to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together represents the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, partners that have been together for ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a special spark to their characters, expertly portraying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The narrative begins when Tim and Millie relocate from the metropolis to the countryside for Millie’s job. A familiar narrative setup, of course, but that’s primarily where the tropes cease. Together becomes as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their country house, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim fall into an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a strange force begins influencing the pair. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying fright fest, weaving in moments of dreamlike terrors, gross (but tastefully done) body horror, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes amidst something disturbing). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components neatly and presents them in a consistently growing atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve left the city and distant from his support system. He fears the idea of totally forfeiting his sense of self in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the fact he can’t drive and relies on Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision is that he refrains from painting either of his characters the clear bad guy.
Both characters grapple with the sort of issues that are inherent in any relationship a decade in. At their core, they still love each other. They still laugh together, offer support, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these anxieties of codependency and fully committing to a partner, the metaphor avoids being clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in harmony.
A Debated Finale
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 understood the narrative as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. Conversely, certain partners having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could act as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the finale plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your other half and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can embark on right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform at present.
