Here's a dare for long-term couples who are fans of scary movies: Settle in with your loved one and stream Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie has now made its online premiere on the Hulu service. Outwardly, it may seem like standard body horror, but beneath Together resides a deep contemplation about the ways we decide to love one another.
An Introductory Film Exploring The Nuances of Love
Together is the first full-length movie for director Michael Shanks. It stars the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for ten years. United in marriage in reality in 2017, Franco and Brie infuse a particular energy to their characters, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a committed partnership.
The story commences when Tim and Millie move from the urban environment to the rural area for her career. A commonly used plot device, admittedly, but that’s largely where the cliches end. Together evolves into as much a examination of mental states of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their rural residence, a tempest descends, and the two fall into an underground cave. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a strange force begins influencing the couple. This force induces a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding simple connection.
The whole movie is a slow burn fright fest, interspersing elements of fever-dream horrors, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and genuinely funny exchanges (sometimes in the middle of something disturbing). Michael Shanks orchestrates these parts expertly and wraps them up in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Nuanced Portrayals
A significant portion of Together is only Brie and Franco, and they masterfully render numerous complexities to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Her self-assurance and feeling of intimacy is suffering due to a emotional and physical gap. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his failing musical ambitions slowly bubbles to the surface.
Conversely, Tim experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve left the city and far away from his support system. He dreads the concept of totally forfeiting his individual identity in Millie. This fear is further exacerbated by the fact he lacks a driver's license and relies on Millie for transportation.
Shanks’ smartest move in this movie never makes one partner or the other the obvious villain.
Both characters face the sort of issues that arise in any relationship after ten years. At their core, they have affection for one another. They share moments of joy, provide solace, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their relationship.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to a partner, the symbolism does not come across as overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes present a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the supernatural and the personal enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has left audiences divided on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have interpreted the film as a strong argument for staying single. Meanwhile, some couples having disagreements found that the film ultimately assisted them reconcile.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own reaction could act as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the conclusion inspire anxiety and horror, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you identify in either protagonist and scream at your TV, or simply look at your significant other and say, “I understand that choice”?
Whatever the case may be, Together is an test you can undertake today.
Together is currently playing on the streaming service Hulu now.
