Here's a test for partners in committed relationships who appreciate scary movies: Get comfortable with your partner and stream Together. The independent film success of 2025 just made its streaming debut on Hulu. On the surface, it might appear like typical body horror, but inside Together lies a deep meditation about the ways we decide to love one another.
A Debut Feature Investigating Relationship Dynamics
Together marks the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features the real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple named Tim and Millie, a pair who are not married that have stayed together for a decade. United in marriage in reality in 2017, the actors infuse a special spark to their characters, masterfully depicting both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The narrative commences when the couple move from the urban environment to the rural area for Millie’s job. A familiar story element, of course, but that’s largely where the cliches conclude. Together evolves into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While hiking near their rural residence, a storm hits, and the two fall into an underground cave. After a night spent there and managing to escape, a mysterious influence starts to affect the couple. This force creates a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a methodically building fright fest, weaving in moments of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but never too gross) physical transformations, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes in the middle of something horrific). The director orchestrates these parts seamlessly and presents them in a gradually swelling aura of dread.
Complex Characterizations
A great deal of Together is solely the performances of its stars, and they skillfully illustrate numerous complexities to the partnership at the film's core. Millie’s confidence and feeling of intimacy is waning due to a emotional and physical gap. Her underlying frustration of Tim for his hesitance to focus on anything other than his failing musical ambitions gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and cut off by Millie, who’s the cause they’ve relocated rural and distant from his social circle. He dreads the concept of totally forfeiting his individual identity in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the circumstance he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for mobility.
The director's cleverest decision in Together never makes one partner or the other the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie confront the type of challenges that come with most partnerships after ten years. Deep down, they have affection for each other. They share moments of joy, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But beneath it all, there’s an persistent feeling of questioning about their future together.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together symbolize these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and totally devoting oneself to another person, the symbolism never feels overly obvious or self-important. Instead, these visceral horror elements provide a ideal counterpart to the interpersonal storytelling. Both the supernatural and the personal work together symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s final act, which won’t be spoiled here, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about codependent relationships. Reports indicate that those not in relationships have seen the movie as a strong argument for staying single. Conversely, a few pairs who were in conflict found that the film ended up guiding them to resolve their issues.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could function as a great barometer of how you view relationships. Will the conclusion plant a sense of discomfort and fear, or a heartwarming sense of hope? Will you see yourself in Tim or Millie and feel frustration, or simply turn to your partner and say, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can undertake today.
Together is currently playing on Hulu as of this moment.
