We present a challenge for partners in committed relationships who enjoy the horror genre: Settle in with your significant other and view Together. This critically acclaimed 2025 movie recently had its online premiere on the Hulu service. On the surface, it might appear like typical body horror, but inside Together lies a profound meditation about our choices in loving our partners.
A Directorial Debut Exploring Partnership Complexities
Together is the debut feature-length film for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It stars actors Alison Brie and Dave Franco as a couple named Tim and Millie, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for ten years. Married in reality in 2017, the actors contribute a special spark to their portrayals, skillfully embodying both the strengths and weaknesses of a long-term relationship.
The story starts when Millie and Tim move from the metropolis to the rural area for her career. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, sure, but that’s largely where the cliches end. Together becomes as much a examination of mental states of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
An Otherworldly Trigger
While trekking near their country house, a violent storm occurs, and the protagonists fall into an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a strange force starts to affect the duo. This force creates a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding emotional intimacy.
The complete narrative is a gradually intensifying fright fest, interspersing bits of hallucinatory nightmares, unsettling (but not excessively graphic) body horror, and surprisingly comedic dialogue (sometimes amidst something horrific). The director skillfully blends these components neatly and delivers them in a gradually swelling atmosphere of fear.
Complex Characterizations
A significant portion of Together is exclusively Brie and Franco, and they deftly portray manifold depths to the partnership at the film's core. Her self-assurance and emotional bond is waning due to a distance. Her subconscious resentment of Tim for his unwillingness to pursue anything but his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
Conversely, Tim senses confinement and cut off by Millie, who’s the impetus they’ve moved to the country and removed from his social circle. He dreads the idea of utterly sacrificing his sense of self in another person. This fear is intensified by the reality he lacks a driver's license and is dependent on Millie for getting around.
The film's most intelligent aspect is that he never makes either of his characters the obvious villain.
Both characters face the sort of issues that come with most partnerships over a long period. Deep down, they continue to care for each other. They share moments of joy, offer support, and share intimately at times. But below this facade, there’s an inescapable undercurrent of doubt about their future together.
Thematic Depth
While the supernatural forces in Together act as a metaphor for these anxieties of unhealthy attachment and fully committing to a partner, the metaphor never feels hamfisted or heavy-handed. Instead, these more disturbing, unsettling scenes provide a ideal counterpart to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama work together in harmony.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s conclusion, which is best experienced firsthand, has sparked debate on the movie's final takeaway about enmeshed dynamics. Reports indicate that single viewers have interpreted the film as a powerful case for avoiding commitment. Conversely, certain partners experiencing tension found that the film actually helped them make up.
Whether you’re single or coupled up, your own interpretation could act as a revealing measure of how you view relationships. Will the finale sow a sense of discomfort and fear, or a positive outlook on love? Will you identify in either protagonist and feel frustration, or simply turn to your other half and utter, “I understand that choice”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can embark on right now.
Together is available to watch on Hulu's platform as of this moment.
