Here's a challenge for partners in committed relationships who are fans of the horror genre: Settle in with your loved one and stream Together. The independent film success of 2025 just made its streaming debut via Hulu. On the surface, it could look like standard body horror, but within Together resides a deep examination about how we choose to love one another.
An Introductory Film Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have remained a couple for a decade. Having wed in actuality in 2017, the two stars bring a special spark to their portrayals, expertly portraying both the joys and frustrations of a enduring union.
The narrative starts when Tim and Millie move from the big city to the countryside for Millie’s job. A familiar story element, of course, but that’s mostly where the conventions cease. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the pair’s relationship as it is a film about physical terror.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While hiking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the two discover an hole in the earth. After being trapped overnight there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity starts to affect the pair. This force induces a otherworldly bond between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying horror experience, weaving in bits of fever-dream horrors, gross (but never too gross) biological grotesqueries, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something grotesque). Shanks orchestrates these parts neatly and wraps them up in a gradually swelling sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is exclusively the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and isolated by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve relocated rural and far away from his social circle. He is terrified of the notion of utterly sacrificing his personal autonomy in his partner. This fear is amplified by the circumstance he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together avoids making either of his characters the obvious villain.
The couple face the sort of issues that come with long-term unions a decade in. At their core, they continue to care for each other. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and open up at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable current of uncertainty about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the otherworldly presence in Together act as a metaphor for these fears of codependency and fully committing to a partner, the metaphor never feels clumsy or heavy-handed. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments present a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Debated Finale
Together’s conclusion, which remains unspoiled, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a compelling reason for avoiding commitment. On the other hand, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film actually helped them resolve their issues.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own response could potentially serve as a telling indicator of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale sow feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply look at your other half and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an exploration you can undertake today.
Together is currently playing on Hulu as of this moment.
