We present a test for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy the horror genre: Settle in with your partner and watch Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its online premiere on the Hulu service. On the surface, it could look like typical body horror, but beneath Together exists a intense meditation about our choices in loving one another.
A Debut Feature Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have been together for ten years. Married in reality in 2017, the actors bring a unique chemistry to their characters, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The plot starts when Tim and Millie transition from the big city to the rural area for Millie’s job. A commonly used narrative setup, of course, but that’s primarily where the conventions cease. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a movie featuring biological frights.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their country house, a tempest descends, and Millie and Tim fall into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a strange force takes hold of the duo. This force creates a paranormal intimacy between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a methodically building horror experience, weaving in moments of fever-dream horrors, gross (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes amidst something horrific). Shanks skillfully blends these components neatly and presents them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and far away from his network of friends. He is terrified of the idea of totally forfeiting his individual identity in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and needs Millie for getting around.
The film's most intelligent aspect in this movie never makes Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
Both characters grapple with the sort of issues that arise in long-term unions over a long period. Fundamentally, they still love each other. They find humor with each other, offer support, and open up at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the metaphor does not come across as clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these visceral horror elements offer a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. Accounts suggest that single viewers have understood the narrative as a compelling reason for staying single. Conversely, some couples experiencing tension found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could act as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the ending inspire anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in either protagonist and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your other half and state, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can experience today.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform at present.
