Consider this a dare for long-term couples who enjoy the horror genre: Settle in with your partner and watch Together. The critically acclaimed 2025 movie just made its online premiere on Hulu. At first glance, it could look like typical body horror, but beneath Together lies a deep meditation about the ways we decide to love our partners.
An Introductory Film Exploring Relationship Dynamics
Together is the introductory feature for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for ten years. Having wed in real life in 2017, Franco and Brie bring a particular energy to their portrayals, masterfully depicting both the joys and frustrations of a long-term relationship.
The narrative begins when Millie and Tim relocate from the urban environment to the rural area for Millie’s job. A familiar narrative setup, sure, but that’s mostly where the tropes end. Together becomes as much a deep dive into the psyche of the pair’s relationship as it is a body horror flick.
A Paranormal Spark
While trekking near their rural residence, a violent storm occurs, and Millie and Tim tumble into an underground cave. After spending the night there and managing to escape, a supernatural entity starts to affect the pair. This force compels a supernatural closeness between them that goes well past emotional intimacy.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying of scares, interspersing moments of dreamlike terrors, disturbing (but tastefully done) body horror, and genuinely funny dialogue (sometimes during something grotesque). The director weaves these elements together seamlessly and delivers them in a consistently growing aura of dread.
Layered Performances
A great deal of Together is exclusively the two lead actors, and they masterfully render countless layers to the characters’ relationship. Millie's sense of self and emotional bond is deteriorating due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to chase only his failing musical ambitions inexorably rises.
Conversely, Tim feels trapped and separated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve moved to the country and distant from his network of friends. He is terrified of the idea of completely losing his individual identity in his partner. This fear is amplified by the fact he does not operate a vehicle and relies on Millie for transportation.
The director's cleverest decision is that he never makes Tim or Millie the clear bad guy.
Tim and Millie face the kind of problems that come with most partnerships over a long period. Deep down, they still love one another. They share moments of joy, offer support, and share intimately at times. But under the surface, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their bond.
Symbolism and Metaphor
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these concerns of excessive reliance and totally devoting oneself to a partner, the allegory avoids being clumsy or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a perfect parallel to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama work together symbiotically.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about unhealthy partnerships. Accounts suggest that single viewers have interpreted the film as a powerful case for staying single. On the other hand, a few pairs having disagreements found that the film ended up guiding them to reconcile.
If you are alone or with a partner, your own reaction could function as a revealing measure of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in one of the characters and feel frustration, or simply look at your other half and utter, “I’d do that for you”?
Regardless of the outcome, Together is an test you can experience at this very moment.
Together is currently playing on Hulu as of this moment.
