We present a dare for those in enduring partnerships who are fans of the horror genre: Get comfortable with your loved one and view Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its online premiere on Hulu. Outwardly, it may seem like conventional physical horror, but beneath Together lies a intense examination about how we choose to love our partners.
An Introductory Film Delving into Partnership Complexities
Together marks the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Millie and Tim, a pair who are not married that have been together for a decade. Married in reality in 2017, the actors bring a particular energy to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The plot commences when the couple move from the big city to the country for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical narrative setup, of course, but that’s mostly where the cliches conclude. Together transforms into as much a psychological exploration of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
A Paranormal Spark
While hiking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and the protagonists discover an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence takes hold of the couple. This force induces a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond emotional intimacy.
The entire film is a gradually intensifying fright fest, interspersing moments of fever-dream horrors, gross (but not excessively graphic) biological grotesqueries, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes during something grotesque). Shanks skillfully blends these components seamlessly and wraps them up in a slowly mounting aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is suffering due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his struggling artistic pursuits inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and distant from his social circle. He dreads 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 is dependent on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision is that he avoids making either of his characters the clear bad guy.
Both characters face the kind of problems that are inherent in any relationship over a long period. Fundamentally, they have affection for each other. They still laugh together, comfort one another, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable current of uncertainty about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the paranormal elements in Together represent these fears of codependency and giving oneself over to a partner, the metaphor never feels overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these visceral horror elements present a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has left audiences divided on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a strong argument for avoiding commitment. Meanwhile, certain partners who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could function as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion sow anxiety and horror, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and yell at the screen, or simply turn to your partner and say, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an experiment you can undertake at this very moment.
Together is streaming on Hulu's platform now.
