Here's a test for partners in committed relationships who appreciate the horror genre: Sit down with your partner and watch Together. This independent film success of 2025 recently had its streaming debut via Hulu. On the surface, it could look like standard body horror, but within Together lies a deep meditation about how we choose to love one another.
A Directorial Debut Exploring 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 Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have been together for over ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, the two stars infuse a particular energy to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The plot begins when the couple transition from the big city to the country for her career. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, admittedly, but that’s largely where the cliches cease. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While walking near their new home, a storm hits, and the two tumble into an underground cave. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity begins influencing the couple. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past simple connection.
The whole movie is a slow burn of scares, weaving in moments of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes during something grotesque). The director weaves these elements together seamlessly and delivers them in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray numerous complexities to the characters’ relationship. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is suffering due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his floundering music career gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and far away from his social circle. He fears the idea of completely losing his sense of self in his partner. This fear is amplified by the reality he can’t drive and needs Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he never makes Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie face the sort of issues that arise in long-term unions a decade in. Fundamentally, they continue to care for each other. They find humor with each other, offer support, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the symbolism does not come across as hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights work together symbiotically.
A Debated Finale
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the film’s ultimate message about enmeshed dynamics. It has been said that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could potentially serve as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply look at your significant other and utter, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can undertake today.
Together is currently playing on Hulu now.
