We present a test for long-term couples who are fans of the horror genre: Get comfortable with your partner and watch Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its streaming debut on Hulu. On the surface, it may seem like typical physical horror, but inside Together resides a deep contemplation about our choices in loving one another.
A Directorial Debut Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together represents the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for over ten years. United in marriage in real life in 2017, the two stars bring a unique chemistry to their characters, skillfully embodying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The narrative commences when Tim and Millie transition from the big city to the countryside for professional reasons. A familiar plot device, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the conventions cease. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the protagonists tumble into an underground cave. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a strange force begins influencing the pair. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding simple connection.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying fright fest, interspersing elements of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes amidst something disturbing). The director orchestrates these parts seamlessly and delivers them in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and distant from his network of friends. He is terrified of the concept of totally forfeiting his sense of self in another person. This fear is amplified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in Together avoids making either of his characters the obvious villain.
The couple confront the kind of problems that come with most partnerships over a long period. Deep down, they still love each other. They find humor with each other, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Allegory and Meaning
While the otherworldly presence in Together symbolize these concerns of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to another person, the symbolism avoids being hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the frights and the fights serve the other in harmony.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s ending, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, certain partners having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could function as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the finale inspire anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your partner and state, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can embark on today.
Together is currently playing on Hulu now.
