Consider this a challenge for partners in committed relationships who enjoy the horror genre: Get comfortable with your significant other and stream Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its streaming debut on Hulu. At first glance, it might appear like standard biological terror, but beneath Together resides a profound contemplation about our choices in loving our partners.
A Debut Feature Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together is 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, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for ten years. Having wed in real life in 2017, the actors bring a particular energy to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a enduring union.
The plot commences when Millie and Tim transition from the big city to the country for professional reasons. A commonly used story element, admittedly, but that’s largely where the tropes end. Together evolves into as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their new home, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists discover an hole in the earth. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity starts to affect the couple. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The whole movie is a slow burn horror experience, blending bits of dreamlike terrors, gross (but never too gross) body horror, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes during something grotesque). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together expertly 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 deftly portray manifold depths to the characters’ relationship. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and distant from his social circle. He is terrified of the concept of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in another person. This fear is further exacerbated by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie never makes Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
The couple confront the sort of issues that come with long-term unions over a long period. At their core, they continue to care for each other. They still laugh together, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to another person, the allegory never feels clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the horror and the drama serve the other in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for staying single. On the other hand, some couples experiencing tension found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could act as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the finale sow anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your other half and say, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can experience right now.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform at present.
