Consider this a challenge for partners in committed relationships who enjoy scary movies: Get comfortable with your loved one and stream Together. This 2025 indie hit recently had its online premiere via Hulu. At first glance, it might appear like conventional body horror, but beneath Together exists a profound examination about the ways we decide to love our partners.
An Introductory Film Investigating Partnership Complexities
Together marks the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It showcases actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for ten years. Married in actuality in 2017, the actors infuse a unique chemistry to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The story starts when the couple relocate from the big city to the countryside for her career. A familiar narrative setup, of course, but that’s largely where the conventions cease. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While walking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the two tumble into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and managing to escape, a strange force takes hold of the duo. This force compels a otherworldly bond between them that goes far beyond typical partnership.
The whole movie is a slow burn of scares, blending moments of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and authentically humorous interactions (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and presents them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A large part of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie’s confidence and sense of connection is suffering due to a distance. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
In contrast, Tim's character feels trapped and cut off by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and far away from his social circle. He fears the concept of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move is that he never makes Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie face the sort of issues that are inherent in most partnerships a decade in. Fundamentally, they continue to care for one another. They still laugh together, offer support, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an unavoidable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these anxieties of excessive reliance and giving oneself over to a partner, the metaphor never feels overly obvious or pretentious. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama serve the other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which won’t be spoiled here, has left audiences divided on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have understood the narrative as a strong argument for staying single. Meanwhile, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own reaction could act as a revealing measure of how you think about commitment. Will the ending inspire a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply glance toward your partner and say, “We could get through that together”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an experiment you can embark on at this very moment.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform now.