We present a dare for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy the horror genre: Sit down with your loved one and stream Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its online premiere on Hulu. On the surface, it could look like standard body horror, but within Together resides a deep contemplation about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Debut Feature Delving into The Nuances of Love
Together marks the introductory feature for director Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as a couple named Tim and Millie, partners that have stayed together for ten years. Having wed in reality in 2017, the actors infuse a special spark to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a long-term relationship.
The narrative commences when Millie and Tim relocate from the big city to the rural area for Millie’s job. A commonly used narrative setup, admittedly, but that’s primarily where the conventions cease. Together transforms into as much a examination of mental states of the couple's dynamic as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim tumble into an subterranean cavern. After being trapped overnight there and finally finding a way out, a strange force takes hold of the pair. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The entire film is a methodically building horror experience, blending moments of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but tastefully done) body horror, and surprisingly comedic exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). The director skillfully blends these components expertly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is waning due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and far away from his social circle. He is terrified of the concept of totally forfeiting his individual identity in another person. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he can’t drive and relies on Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he avoids making Tim or Millie the obvious villain.
Both characters face the type of challenges that arise in long-term unions over a long period. Deep down, they have affection for one another. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Allegory and Meaning
While the paranormal elements in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of codependency and giving oneself over to a partner, the metaphor does not come across as clumsy or self-important. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the frights and the fights enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Divisive Ending
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the story's concluding statement about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have understood the narrative as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. Conversely, a few pairs experiencing tension found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own response could act as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the ending plant anxiety and horror, or a positive outlook on love? Will you recognize your own traits in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply look at your partner and state, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can undertake right now.
Together is currently playing on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
