We present a test for long-term couples who enjoy horror films: Get comfortable with your partner and stream Together. The 2025 indie hit has now made its streaming debut on the Hulu service. On the surface, it could look like conventional body horror, but within Together lies a deep meditation about our choices in loving one another.
An Introductory Film Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together is the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have been together for over ten years. Having wed in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a unique chemistry to their roles, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The narrative starts when Millie and Tim relocate from the metropolis to the country for her career. A somewhat stereotypical story element, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the tropes conclude. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a film about physical terror.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and the two fall into an underground cave. After a night spent there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity takes hold of the pair. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying fright fest, weaving in elements of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but never too gross) body horror, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes amidst something horrific). The director weaves these elements together expertly and wraps them up in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A great deal of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
Tim, on the other hand feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and distant from his social circle. He fears the idea of completely losing his sense of self in Millie. This fear is intensified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie refrains from painting either of his characters the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie face the kind of problems that are inherent in most partnerships a decade in. Fundamentally, they still love each other. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to another person, the metaphor does not come across as clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the horror and the drama serve the other in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. Conversely, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could function as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the finale plant feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply look at your other half and say, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can undertake right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
