We present a test for partners in committed relationships who are fans of the horror genre: Settle in with your partner and watch Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its online premiere via Hulu. On the surface, it may seem like conventional body horror, but beneath Together resides a deep examination about our choices in loving one another.
A Debut Feature Investigating The Nuances of Love
Together marks the debut feature-length film for director Michael Shanks. It features actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have remained a couple for over ten years. Married in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie contribute a special spark to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The plot commences when Tim and Millie transition from the metropolis to the countryside for Millie’s job. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, admittedly, but that’s mostly where the cliches conclude. 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 hiking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and the two tumble into an subterranean cavern. After spending the night there and eventually escaping, a supernatural entity takes hold of the duo. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes far beyond simple connection.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying horror experience, weaving in moments of fever-dream horrors, unsettling (but tastefully done) physical transformations, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes amidst something grotesque). Michael Shanks weaves these elements together expertly and presents them in a slowly mounting sense of impending doom.
Layered Performances
A significant portion of Together is solely Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a lack of intimacy. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his unwillingness to chase only his floundering music career slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve left the city and removed from his social circle. He is terrified of the idea of utterly sacrificing his individual identity in his partner. This fear is intensified by the reality he does not operate a vehicle and is dependent on Millie for mobility.
Shanks’ smartest move in Together never makes either of his characters the obvious villain.
The couple confront the type of challenges that arise in most partnerships over a long period. Deep down, they continue to care for one another. They find humor with each other, offer support, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an inescapable feeling of questioning about their relationship.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these fears of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to another person, the metaphor does not come across as overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a brilliant analogue to the relationship narrative. Both the frights and the fights serve the 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 unhealthy partnerships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a compelling reason for staying single. On the other hand, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film ultimately assisted them make up.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could act as a telling indicator of how you think about commitment. Will the conclusion sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you identify in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply glance toward your other half and utter, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an experiment you can embark on right now.
Together is currently playing on Hulu at present.
