We present a dare for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy horror films: Settle in with your partner and view Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie recently had its launch on a streaming platform via Hulu. On the surface, it could look like standard body horror, but beneath Together resides a intense contemplation about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together is the introductory feature for filmmaker 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 ten years. United in marriage in real life in 2017, the two stars contribute a particular energy to their characters, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The narrative commences when the couple move from the urban environment to the rural area for professional reasons. A familiar story element, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the conventions cease. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists fall into an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a strange force starts to affect the pair. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a slow burn fright fest, blending elements of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but never too gross) body horror, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a emotional and physical gap. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his floundering music career gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and removed from his support system. He is terrified of the notion of completely losing his personal autonomy in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he can’t drive and relies on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision is that he refrains from painting either of his characters the definite antagonist.
The couple grapple with the kind of problems that arise in any relationship after ten years. At their core, they still love one another. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these concerns of codependency and fully committing to another person, the symbolism never feels overly obvious or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a ideal counterpart to the relationship narrative. Both the supernatural and the personal work together symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which remains unspoiled, has created disagreement on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. It has been said that those not in relationships have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for remaining unattached. On the other hand, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could act as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending inspire anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply glance toward your significant other and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can undertake today.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform at present.
