Here's a test for partners in committed relationships who are fans of scary movies: Sit down with your partner and watch Together. This independent film success of 2025 recently had its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. At first glance, it may seem like conventional body horror, but beneath Together exists a deep meditation about our choices in loving our partners.
An Introductory Film Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together is the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It showcases actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for over ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a particular energy to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a committed partnership.
The story starts when Millie and Tim move from the urban environment to the countryside for her career. A familiar plot device, admittedly, but that’s largely where the cliches end. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their country house, a tempest descends, and the two tumble into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a strange force begins influencing the duo. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying fright fest, weaving in bits of hallucinatory nightmares, gross (but tastefully done) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny interactions (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). The director weaves these elements together neatly and delivers them in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they masterfully render countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his hesitance to pursue anything but his floundering music career gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and removed from his social circle. He fears the idea of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in Millie. This fear is amplified by the fact he lacks a driver's license and needs Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he never makes either of his characters the obvious villain.
Tim and Millie grapple with the kind of problems that arise in long-term unions a decade in. Fundamentally, they still love each other. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these concerns of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the symbolism does not come across as hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a perfect parallel to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights work together symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which is best experienced firsthand, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a strong argument for staying single. On the other hand, some couples having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own interpretation could function as a great barometer of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion plant anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and scream at your TV, or simply turn to your partner and state, “We could get through that together”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an exploration you can experience today.
Together is streaming on the streaming service Hulu now.
