Here's a dare for partners in committed relationships who appreciate the horror genre: Get comfortable with your significant other and watch Together. This independent film success of 2025 has now made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. On the surface, it might appear like conventional body horror, but within Together lies a deep contemplation about our choices in loving one another.
A Debut Feature Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together represents the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for over ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a particular energy to their roles, expertly portraying both the strengths and weaknesses of a enduring union.
The story begins when the couple relocate from the urban environment to the country for Millie’s job. A familiar story element, of course, but that’s primarily where the conventions cease. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim discover an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a mysterious influence starts to affect the couple. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a methodically building of scares, interspersing bits of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes amidst something grotesque). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and wraps them up in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they deftly portray countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and far away from his support system. He dreads the notion of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he can’t drive and relies on Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie refrains from painting Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie confront the type of challenges that are inherent in any relationship after ten years. At their core, they continue to care for each other. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these concerns of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to a partner, the allegory avoids being clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights serve the other in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that single viewers have seen the movie as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could function as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the ending sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply look at your partner and say, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can embark on right now.
Together is available to watch on the streaming service Hulu as of this moment.
