We present a challenge for long-term couples who enjoy scary movies: Settle in with your loved one and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit just made its streaming debut on Hulu. Outwardly, it might appear like standard body horror, but inside Together lies a deep contemplation about how we choose to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together represents the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, partners that have been together for ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a special spark to their roles, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The narrative commences when Tim and Millie relocate from the big city to the countryside for her career. A commonly used narrative setup, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the cliches cease. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their new home, a tempest descends, and the protagonists discover an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a mysterious influence starts to affect the duo. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The whole movie is a methodically building of scares, weaving in elements of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes during something horrific). Shanks skillfully blends these components neatly and delivers them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to chase only his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and distant from his support system. He is terrified of the idea of completely losing his sense of self in Millie. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he avoids making either of his characters the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie confront the sort of issues that are inherent in long-term unions a decade in. Deep down, they have affection for each other. They share moments of joy, offer support, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together symbolize these concerns of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to a partner, the metaphor never feels overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements offer a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama work together in harmony.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that unattached audience members have seen the movie as a powerful case for staying single. On the other hand, certain partners having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could act as a telling indicator of how you view relationships. Will the ending sow anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your significant other and say, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is streaming on Hulu at present.
