Here's a test for partners in committed relationships who appreciate scary movies: Sit down with your partner and view Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its streaming debut on Hulu. On the surface, it could look like conventional body horror, but inside Together exists a intense examination about how we choose to love each other.
A Debut Feature Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together represents the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, partners that have stayed together for a decade. Married in actuality in 2017, the actors bring a particular energy to their roles, skillfully embodying both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The story starts when the couple move from the big city to the country for her career. A commonly used plot device, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the conventions conclude. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their new home, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim fall into an underground cave. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence starts to affect the duo. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding simple connection.
The entire film is a slow burn horror experience, blending elements of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and presents them in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is only the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is waning due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and distant from his support system. He fears the idea of totally forfeiting his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is intensified by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in this movie refrains from painting Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
The couple face the sort of issues that arise in most partnerships over a long period. At their core, they have affection for one another. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and share intimately 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 unhealthy attachment and giving oneself over to another person, the metaphor avoids being hamfisted or self-important. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama work together symbiotically.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the ending sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your partner and say, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can undertake today.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform at present.
