We present a challenge for partners in committed relationships who appreciate the horror genre: Settle in with your significant other and watch Together. The independent film success of 2025 recently had its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. On the surface, it could look like standard body horror, but within Together exists a deep examination about our choices in loving our partners.
An Introductory Film Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together marks the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have remained a couple for a decade. Married in actuality in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a special spark to their characters, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a committed partnership.
The story begins when Tim and Millie relocate from the big city to the rural area for her career. A familiar narrative setup, sure, but that’s mostly where the cliches conclude. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the pair’s relationship as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While walking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the protagonists discover an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a strange force begins influencing the duo. This force creates a otherworldly bond between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The whole movie is a methodically building horror experience, blending elements of fever-dream horrors, gross (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Michael Shanks skillfully blends these components expertly and delivers them in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A large part of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and emotional bond is waning due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and removed from his support system. He dreads the idea of completely losing his individual identity in another person. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he can’t drive and relies on Millie for getting around.
The director's cleverest decision is that he avoids making Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie face the kind of problems that are inherent in most partnerships a decade in. At their core, they continue to care for each other. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and open up at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of excessive reliance and fully committing to a partner, the allegory does not come across as hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a brilliant analogue to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal work together symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which remains unspoiled, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. It has been said that single viewers have interpreted the film as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply turn to your partner and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can undertake right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform at present.
